#ProTops: Former Topper Basketball Player Adeoye & Williams Sign With Ravens
Western Kentucky continues to insert players into the NFL circuit, but who knew that another former WKU basketball player would be the…
Western Kentucky continues to insert players into the NFL circuit, but who knew that another former WKU basketball player would be the next?
Aaron Adeoye was a Topper for a year under Ray Harper before transferring to Southeast Missouri State, where he ended up trying out for the football team. Looking back in time further, he was a multi-time all-conference football player in high school in Illinois. He was a very good player, but ended up in Division I basketball.
Adeoye, who spent a year with Ball State before suiting up on the Hill, started 15 games in 2013–14 and averaged 3.6 points and 4.3 rebounds on the hardwood.
After catching some eyes at SEMO, Adeoye found his way into the AAF with the Birmingham Iron, where he saw the field and produced significantly enough to be seen. He had double-digit tackles, half a sack and a forced fumble after barely playing football after high school. However the journey, he is now officially on the 90 man roster for the Baltimore Ravens and will compete for a spot in camp.
Go figure.
Ironically enough, another former Topper — this time actually from football — also landed on the Ravens. Darrell “Diesel” Williams was on the Rams practice squad last season before being waived by L.A. in the offseason. Williams was a much more traditional story. A high three-star prospect, Darrell was expected to bloom into a very good college to pro level player. He bounced around from San Francisco to Los Angeles and now finds himself on the East Coast for the first time.
Surely Williams is much more likely to earn and keep a spot, but Adeoye may be a “project” type of player the Ravens or another team may want to keep around to see how he pans out.
Both Williams and Adeoye were on the Hill at the same time. Adeoye played on the 2013–14 men’s basketball team that went 20–12 under Ray Harper. Williams was a redshirt freshman on the 8–4 football team under Bobby Petrino.