THE GAME '08: Growing Up Crimson

For many of Harvard football’s seniors, The Game is the culmination of their careers—careers that likely began well before they first entered the gates of Harvard Yard. But for senior defensive end Peter Ajayi, football was something he only fully cherished once hitting the grass—now turf—of Harvard Stadium.

“I actually initially committed to play basketball here,” Ajayi remembers. “Switched to football at the last second. Football just feels kind of fresh for me in a different way versus basketball.”

Growing up a self-proclaimed “basketball guy,” Ajayi played one year of Pop Warner football in the fifth grade, hanging up his cleats after just one season.

In high school, he would give football another shot.

“My coach really tried to have me play [football] in middle school and ninth grade,” Ajayi says. “Finally, sophomore year I caved and really started playing, trying out for the team and playing some football.”

The Brooklyn native enjoyed an illustrious high school career at Poly Prep as a two-sport letterwinner, and Harvard came knocking.

At Harvard, Ajayi again thought of giving up football in favor of his childhood passion before settling on the gridiron game.

“I was just really excited about the opportunity of playing the sport that I hadn’t grown up playing,” Ajayi says of his ultimate choice. “It was so different for me, and the sky seemed to be the limit. So it was just kind of a spontaneous decision.”

Of course, Ajayi’s teammates remember his decision differently.

“His girlfriend at the time liked big, bulky football players much better than skinny, slender basketball players,” classmate Sonny McCracken recalls. “Funny thing is, she actually goes to Yale. So, yeah, her team has to deal with Peter solely because she wanted Peter to be a football player, not a basketball player.”

“I’m not going to say he’s lying, but he’s not,” Ajayi adds. “And I will also not corroborate the story.”

Whatever the reason, Ajayi picked up the pigskin and found his place in the Crimson ranks.

“I kind of followed the pretty standard progression as far as not doing much as a freshman, sophomore getting in there a little bit, junior trying to push it a bit more, being more constant, and senior a little more,” Ajayi says. “But you know I value every aspect of everything over the course of my career.”

Starting out on the scout team, Ajayi made a habit of giving the starting offensive line trouble.

“I was so undersized and strength-wise really couldn’t compete at my position,” Ajayi says. “I was weighing 217, and I remember mostly this guy Nik Sobic [’07]. He must have been around 6’5, 300-310, somewhere in that range. [I would] give him a good look, even though I’m completely outmatched as far as talent, size, strength.”

But when he was able to use his athleticism to get around Sobic to get to the quarterback, Ajayi took delight in besting the starter.

“[It was] fun to get the older guys yelled at,” Ajayi jokes. “They’re yelling at Sobic, ‘You got 90 pounds on this kid. Why’s he making a tackle? He should be on his back.’ It’s fun. It’s always fun.”

But Ajayi has since filled out his 6’3 frame, now weighing in at 245 lbs., much to the credit of Crimson strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald.

“Anyone on the team will tell you he’s had a monumental impact on us,” Ajayi says. “Especially when you consider that we spend so much more time lifting weights and training in a not football specific way.”

With his newfound size, Ajayi still maintains the quickness that made him successful on the basketball court. Ajayi has 69 total tackles over his 26-game collegiate career, with 16 of those for losses totaling 82 yards. He has 8.5 sacks accounting for 43 yards lost. He’s forced a pair of fumbles and recovered a pair as well, including most recently a 30-yard touchdown fumble recovery forced by junior Brenton Bryant in the Columbia game. It was Ajayi’s first collegiate touchdown.

“It was definitely a great experience,” Ajayi says. “Every defensive player dreams of getting to score a touchdown, and it was just a great experience and I was happy to help us get a [win].”

But for Ajayi, the consummate athlete, The Game is just like any other game.

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s going to set in as far as my career coming to an end,” Ajayi says. “We’re in the thick of the season, we’re in the middle of the Ivy League race. So right now I’m focused on this week and the next game and playing well.”

With the inevitability of his career’s conclusion, Ajayi has no qualms about his course and looks forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

“I have an offer from my internship this past summer, but also law school has always been a dream of mine,” Ajayi admits. “But I do hope to be an avid flag football participant in some kind of league.”

—Staff writer Dixon McPhillips can be reached at fmcphill@fas.harvard.edu.