Kentucky can thank former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson for helping unearth versatile gem Alex Afari Jr., a self-made success as a high school cornerback now starring in the middle of the Wildcats defense.
Johnson is headed to training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers this month, a path Afari would like to follow after the childhood neighbors learned to compete against each other as 8-year-olds in their Ohio backyards.
Entering his senior season with 21 starts in 38 games in Lexington, Afari’s path to this point was anything but predictable. He was born in Italy, moved to Ghana for four years and it was in that African nation he first learned what he was told was football, the game with a round ball going by a different name in the United States.
When he moved to Ohio with his family at the age of 8, Johnson and his grandfather offered to introduce Afari to American football. Johnson’s grandfather signed him up to play and shuttled him to the first practice, Afari recalled Thursday at SEC Media Days.
“First day of practice, they put a helmet on me and some shoulder pads. I said, ‘this is not what I signed up for,’” Afari said. “But he didn’t let me quit. He let me stay with it. Just blessed to be here now.”
Afari, a 227-pounder who played cornerback in high school and his first two seasons in Lexington, was an inside linebacker last season. He finished third on the team in tackles and wowed with a 10-tackle game against Tennessee and during a career night against Florida with 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
“He’s had a great career. We actually recruited him as a cornerback,” Kentucky’s Mark Stoops said Thursday. “Grew into a safety, then became a hybrid. Last year moved to inside linebacker. Just picked it up in a big way. Is a great leader and person for us.”
Afari said he picked up the new game over time, improving by bringing down Johnson in their backyard football games. Johnson, drafted 83rd overall in April, forced a total of 78 missed tackles and gained more than 1,000 rushing yards after initial contact at Iowa.
Completing a tackle of Johnson wasn’t exactly remedial football, especially for someone brand new to the game.
“I wouldn’t say natural. I started really becoming good at football in seventh grade. It took me some time,” Afari recalled Thursday, adding he wasn’t clear on the rules when he began picking up the game. “I just learned off the fly. Kaleb Johnson’s grandpa brought me to the football field every day with him. We were just practicing out in the backyard.”
Afari said he can’t find jollof rice — a traditional dish with tomatoes and chiles common in West Africa, where his parents were born — in Lexington but the summer humidity and high seasonal temperatures are well shy of the oven he experienced in Ghana for nearly four years.
While he now understands the tabulation for placement kicks worth either one or three points in American football, Afari continues pushing for the next step in his journey. He wants to continue growing as a prospect and have a chance to prove he can still bring down his old backyard buddy in the NFL.
“I got stronger in the weight room. I got way stronger, way more explosive. I feel it’s going to translate on the field,” he said. “I feel like the strength coach has done a great job with all our players, changing our bodies, making us stronger and more explosive and faster.”