Derek Akunne: Continuing a winning culture at UNT

Harry · July 29, 2014

Tough, tenacious, relentless – and fast.

That's how Head Coach Dan McCarney describes Mean Green football's Derek Akunne when he's on the field.

"Some guys run fast, but they don't play the game fast," McCarney says. "Derek Akunne plays one speed -- and that's full speed, all the time."

This summer two magazines -- Athlon Sports and Phil Steele's College Football Preview -- listed Akunne as a pre-season all-conference first team linebacker. In 2013, he also made honorable mention all-conference linebacker, and he finished last season tied for second on the team with 90 tackles.

Those who know Akunne say in addition to his passion for the game, he also has incredible character and a standout work ethic on and off the field.

"He's been a model citizen, model football player, model student," McCarney says. "Any North Texas fan or alumnus would really enjoy having this young man in their home."

Mean Green fans can see Akunne's hustle and drive in action when the 2014 UNT football season kicks off next month. The first game of the season is Aug. 30 in Austin against the University of Texas Longhorns. The home opener against SMU is Sept. 6.

As Akunne prepares to start his senior year, he's hoping the team can build on the momentum it generated last year during a winning 9-4 season that was capped off with an emotional 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl win. Those nine wins were the most in a single season for the UNT football team since 2003.

"We know the past, and we want to keep improving," Akunne says. "We want to just keep improving and make North Texas a constant contender every year. That's the goal."

Family support

Akunne was born in Dallas to parents who came to the United States from Nigeria for better opportunities and "so that we could have a better life," Akunne says.

That heritage shaped him and his siblings -- two of whom are pursuing degrees in the medical field.

"My parents are always on us hard to study," Akunne says. "They're always talking about the things they did in Nigeria and how they had to struggle. I think that really pushed us. We didn't want to make it so they came over for no reason. So we all wanted to be successful. That really pushed us and motivated us."

Akunne's older sister is in nursing school at Prairie View A&M University near Houston, and his older brother attends pharmacy school at Texas Southern University in Houston. While Akunne hopes to have a shot at the NFL after graduation, he also is preparing for a future career in physical therapy.

"I know they're really proud of us," he says. "They're really excited about what we're doing and our futures."

It was his older brother, Clinton, who he looks to as a role model, who first turned him on to football after he spent most of his childhood playing soccer.

"Usually whatever he liked, I liked too, or tried to do," he says.

Aside from his brother's influence, he also enjoyed the physicality of the sport -- it was a nice change of pace from soccer.

It was around the ninth grade when he knew he'd fallen for football.

"I started realizing that I was actually pretty good," he says. "It started becoming really fun. At a certain point, when the majority of time football's on your mind in some type of way, that's how you know you really love it."

He played for North Garland High School before graduating and enrolling at UNT in 2011 as part of McCarney's first recruiting class.

Read more: http://northtexan.unt.edu/content/continuing-winning-culture-unt?homepage=1

DeepGreen · July 29, 2014

Great article. Proud that Derek Akunne represents my University.

Christopher Walker · July 29, 2014

"He's been a model citizen, model football player, model student," McCarney says. "Any North Texas fan or alumnus would really enjoy having this young man in their home."

Ha! This is near verbatim the language used to describe Zach Orr last year, and I love it.