Kansas
Rocky’s World: Kehinde Oginni Hassan’s long road to Kansas City
![Rocky’s World: Kehinde Oginni Hassan’s long road to Kansas City Rocky’s World: Kehinde Oginni Hassan’s long road to Kansas City](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2PjWSCnkiEN2r0clLbuL-62i2cA=/1788x282:7342x3190/fit-in/1200x630/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23452429/usa_today_16940681.jpg)
Kansas Metropolis Chiefs undrafted free agent Kehinde Oginni Hassan — or “Kenny DnexT.O.” as he refers to himself in his exercise movies — had goals of being the following Terrell Owens.
Relying on the place you look on the Web, Oginni is listed as a large receiver, tight finish or defensive finish.
Although the Chiefs initially introduced his signing as a decent finish, they’ve since listed him as a defensive finish. The unique itemizing could have been an error. The Chiefs have assigned him jersey quantity 67, which is reserved for offensive and defensive linemen. Additional proof of this may be present in NFL Nework’s “Undiscovered” collection about Oginni and his fellow Worldwide Pathway gamers. Within the second episode (which aired on April 25), they listed him as a defensive lineman.
The delivery of Kenny DnexT.O.
Oginni was born in Abakaliki, Nigeria — 6,611 miles from Kansas Metropolis.
However the highway that led Oginni to Arrowhead Stadium was for much longer. It’s a narrative that spans three continents and is stuffed with pleasure — and ache.
Up till 2014, Oginni was a basketball participant who had by no means stepped on a soccer discipline. However when a buddy noticed how bodily he was on the court docket, he recommended that he strive his hand at soccer. Standing 6 toes 7, Oginni initially thought he was too lanky to play soccer.
Issues modified when he was 15. Oginni acquired an invite to attend a sports activities camp that was sponsored by the Ejike Ugboaja Basis. It was an eight-hour bus journey from Oginni’s dwelling to Nigeria’s capital metropolis of Abuja, however the publicity to the sport — and the prospect to be seen by American coaches — was a chance he couldn’t cross up.
“I believed, ‘wow, that’s an excellent alternative for me to go there and study extra concerning the recreation’,” Kehinde explains.
Whereas on the camp, Oginni was satisfied by the teaching employees to strive his hand at soccer.
It was love at first snap.
His dimension and size made him a mismatch at broad receiver. He knew immediately that soccer was his future.
“I’m not simply enjoying this recreation.” Oginni as soon as mentioned in certainly one of his YouTube movies, “I’m made for this… God made me to play soccer.”
The camp concluded on June 10, 2014. Oginni and his teammates boarded their bus and waved goodbye to their coaches. However on the journey dwelling, tragedy struck. The bus was concerned in an car accident during which three of Oginni’s teammates had been killed — and which left him with extreme accidents.
He spent the following two months within the hospital. The occasion had a profound impact on him. Whereas some would use it as a motive to stop, Oginni used it as a catalyst and motivation.
“And I mentioned to my God, thanks for saving me. Thanks for saving my dream. I do know you’re holding me for a goal. And I promised myself by no means to surrender. [I am] not giving up on the dream, [because] of the incident of June tenth, it’s the one factor I can do to maintain the souls of my misplaced teammates completely satisfied. I suppose I’ll make them completely satisfied for the remainder of my life as a result of I ain’t giving up.”
Oginni spent his free time operating routes, figuring out and coaching together with his native soccer group on the Ahmadu Bello College in Zaria, Nigeria.
Organized in 2009, the A.B.U. Titans had been coached by their founder: former Nigerian rugby participant Amadi Chukwuemeka. There had by no means been an American soccer group in Nigeria — or for that matter, wherever in West Africa. With none opponents to play, the group quietly practiced on the college campus for seven years, ready for the day they might get to play their first recreation.
“Instantly, I introduced some youngsters collectively and began grooming them,” mentioned Chukwuemeka. “We had been doing all these actions silently. For the previous seven years, we’ve got been educating the children we chosen the rudiments of the sport.”
Oginni’s first recreation: Kenny DnexT.O. goes off
In 2014 — proper across the time Oginni was discovering the sport — one other Nigerian soccer group was being born in Lagos, greater than 500 miles away. Within the Lagos Marines — underneath the management of German head coach Dominic Muller — the Titans had lastly discovered their match. However because of the distance between the 2 groups — and the time it took to get the Marines off the bottom — the 2 groups wouldn’t meet till March fifth, 2016.
The ABU Titans received the inaugural recreation 26-14. Oginni had six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns.
WARNING: The music within the video accommodates express lyrics.
From then to now
Within the years that adopted, Oginni continued his coaching with the ABU Titans, commonly posting exercise movies on YouTube.
On this Titans photograph — taken a couple of months after the victory over the Marines — Oginni is on the far left.
One of many primary causes Oginni posted his exercises on-line was that he hoped to draw the eye of a faculty program in the USA.
His plan labored. He attracted the eye of a number of stateside faculty applications. However because of the irregularity of the game in Nigeria — and the excessive price related to getting a visa — his functions to play in America had been denied on a number of events.
For lots of gamers, this might have been sufficient for them to surrender. However not Oginni — as a result of until you forgot…
“I’m not simply enjoying this recreation. I’m made for this… God made me to play soccer.”
Undeterred, Oginni continued to work out with the ABU Titans and publish movies of himself making one-handed catches.
After which final yr — after seven years of grinding in relative obscurity — alternative got here knocking at Oginni’s door. Former New York Giants defensive finish Osi Umenyiora (who can be of Nigerian descent) arrived in Abuja, saying that he was placing on a camp and holding tryouts for the NFL’s Worldwide Participant Pathway program.
“Instituted in 2017, this system goals to offer elite worldwide athletes the chance to compete on the NFL degree, enhance their abilities, and finally earn a spot on an NFL roster. “
Out of all the members, Umenyiora would solely be choosing three gamers to maneuver on to the following section: coaching in London within the hope that they may showcase their expertise to NFL scouts and earn a spot on a roster.
On the ultimate day of the camp, Umenyiora known as Oginni in to inform him the excellent news: he could be shifting on to London.
For six months, Oginni and his IPP counterparts educated and studied, getting ready for his or her probability to impress NFL scouts.
Then in March, Oginni obtained his shot. He and his fellow IPP members traveled to Arizona State College to participate of their Professional Day.
The Chiefs favored what they noticed, signing Oginni as an undrafted free agent shortly after the draft.
What’s subsequent for Oginni?
Primarily based on his measurables alone, Oginni is an intriguing prospect.
Standing 6-feet-7, he ran a 4.8 second 40-yard-dash on the Professional Day — sooner than each Tyreke Smith and Kingsley Engabare ran on the NFL Mix.
Even with these positives, Oginni is the longest of longshots to make Kansas Metropolis’s 53-man roster. The very first thing he has going towards him is that he has by no means performed defensive finish earlier than. As a receiving prospect, he was uncooked — however as an edge rusher, he’ll have to be constructed from the bottom up. And at 225 kilos, he’s additionally too skinny to play edge. He’ll must placed on not less than 40 if he desires to play within the NFL.
At greatest, I believe the Chiefs will attempt to develop him by stashing him on their apply squad this yr.
However Umenyiora chosen Oginni for a motive. And keep in mind: there’s a connection between Umenyiora and Kansas Metropolis defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who was his defensive coordinator when he performed for the Giants. Maybe Umenyiora gave Spagnuolo a heads up on Oginni’s potential and instructed the Chiefs to signal him.
One factor is for sure: I wouldn’t rely Oginni out.
He has crossed the globe in pursuit of his dream — and to meet the promise he made to his misplaced teammates.
To cite the person himself… he was made for this.
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/np-logo.png)
Kansas
Tulane Football’s Path to Victory Must Exploit Inexperienced Kansas State
![Tulane Football’s Path to Victory Must Exploit Inexperienced Kansas State Tulane Football’s Path to Victory Must Exploit Inexperienced Kansas State](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4096,h_2304,x_0,y_268/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/voltaxMediaLibrary/mmsport/tulane_green_wave_on_si/01j6mvw0vcfqn9xhqdjr.jpg)
The stage is set for Tulane football’s highly anticipated Week 2 matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats as they seek to become contenders on a national stage.
Intriguingly, the Green Wave and the Wildcats have some parallels on offense. Kansas State kicks off the season Saturday against FCS opponent UT-Martin, much like Tulane opened against Southeastern Louisiana.
Sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson will make his first regular season start, much like redshirt freshman Darian Mensah led Tulane to their 52-0 victory Thursday night. Johnson did appear in eight games as a true freshman and started for the team in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, beating North Carolina State.
However, he did so behind an offensive line that looks nothing like the one that will take the field next Saturday at Yulman Stadium. The Wildcats must replace four of five starters, including third-round draft pick Cooper Beebe. Just as Tulane had to find Vincent Murphy to take over for Sincere Haynesworth.
Though the group of returners isn’t exactly inexperienced, they don’t have any time playing together in concert. The lone starter remaining is right guard Hadley Panzer, who likely is starting this season at left guard. Presumed starting left tackle Easton Kilty is making his first FBS start.
It helps that Kansas State’s offensive line coach, Conor Riley, was promoted to coordinator. He has pieces to work with that have credible game snaps. The challenge is whether they can come together as a unit.
While Avery Johnson has more experience than Darian Mensah, Mensah benefits from a much more stable offensive line. Tulane returned both starting guards and right tackle and brought in key transfers to fill the remaining holes. In their season debut, they gave Mensah time in the pocket, but the run blocking left much to be desired.
Tulane brought in transfers on the defensive line to bolster their pass rush. They got to the quarterback twice with two sacks last Thursday, but the Bandit role was a point of concern. Their three-man front is spaced to spread out their top playmakers, Adin Huntington at defensive end and Patrick Jenkins at tackle.
With Huntington to the field and Jenkins to the boundary, it forces defenses to either focus attention on one side of the line or just shut down the best two players. That awards a lot of one-on-one opportunities for the rusher at Bandit. The players who rotated in the first game didn’t make much of a case.
Terrell Allen didn’t make any standout plays, nor did Matthew Fobbs-White, though the latter showed some disruptive abilities off the line of scrimmage. Frankly, Shi’Keem Laister was the most productive in a packaged role. Laister had a hurry and forced Southeastern to throw quickly, leading to incompletions on the drive.
Tulane doesn’t need the Bandit to be the hero, but they need a player to step up and credibly command attention to open up lanes for Huntington, who only recorded one hurry in his debut for the team.
Importantly, the team likely didn’t show their cards on the ways they might get to the quarterback. It might come from the second level. Linebacker Sam Howard had more pressure snaps than Fobbs-White and Allen, and he recorded a hurry and beat his blocker on another.
Could Tulane rely on blitzing and utilizing defensive backs and linebackers as rushers? Not all season. But creativity and confusion might just be enough to rattle the Wildcats as both teams race to figure out what the other is made of with merely one game of film.
The secondary came together as Tulane’s season opener went on, and should be a point of strength, but the best coverage is a pass rush. Especially with an opponent that has similar turnover and areas to exploit. For the Green Wave to pull off a victory on Sept. 7, the key lies in the lane to the quarterback.
Kansas
Lawmakers plan brazen power grab, pushing aside Kansas voters and Gov. Laura Kelly • Kansas Reflector
![Lawmakers plan brazen power grab, pushing aside Kansas voters and Gov. Laura Kelly • Kansas Reflector Lawmakers plan brazen power grab, pushing aside Kansas voters and Gov. Laura Kelly • Kansas Reflector](https://kansasreflector.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/P6170288.jpg)
Let’s be clear about what Kansas Republican legislative leaders are doing with their planned overhaul of budgeting: They are launching a personal and political power grab against Gov. Laura Kelly.
They have never accepted or respected her mandate. Despite Kelly winning a second term and having two years left to go, they have continually attempted to usurp the executive branch’s authority. They have tried a constitutional amendment and prohibiting her ability to negotiate Medicaid contracts. Now they’re going after her yearly state budget proposal.
Usually, the Legislature begins its yearly budget process with a proposal from the governor. Her office submits it when lawmakers arrive for the annual session, in January. Now an interim committee wants to start the process earlier, as soon as October of the previous year.
In this new process, the governor’s budget would be a suggestion, not a starting point.
And never mind that it’s a direct attack on Kelly. House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita, assured the audience that these changes had nothing to do with the governor.
“This process has nothing to do with the governor,” he said at the meeting earlier this month, according to Kansas Reflector reporter Tim Carpenter. “If you’re going to focus on the governor, probably not the wisest thing to do, because this process has happened over time with many, many different governors.”
He was contradicted by Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, who let the proverbial cat out of the figurative bag.
“You’ll have a Republican governor, for example, or somebody you trust, and you trust the administration to build the budgets, and then you kind of rubber stamp stuff,” Masterson said. “And, then, you switch, and you have (the) opposition party and then there’s all that same power.”
Oh. So it’s like that, then.
All of this might seem like so much partisan mud wrestling, except for the fact that the leaders have also decided to do an end run around Kansas voters.
Did you notice that the proposed new process could start as early as October? While details at the hearing were scarce, leaders appeared to suggest that they would start working on budget without knowing whether they would be elected. What happens if all the folks on the budget committee are voted out of office? Who takes the lead then?
Once again, we see Kansas legislative leaders trying to concentrate power. They don’t want the governor to even have the first say in the budgeting process, and they apparently don’t trust the rest of their colleagues. You know, all the people who drive to Topeka in January to actually make laws.
Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican, raised concerns that these changes would also limit the ability of constituents to speak about budget priorities.
McGinn might have decided to retire, but she has a point. Leaders apparently don’t even trust their constituents when it comes to spending.
In there interest of fairness, I should note that the reform committee considered several worthwhile proposals. Rep. Troy Waymaster, R-Bunker Hill, discussed ending lawmakers’ de facto three-day work week. Yes, they usually take Mondays and Fridays off, at times slowing progress to a crawl. The panel also targeted budget earmarks for favored programs that don’t go through a regular committee process.
In the interest of perspective, however, I’m not falling over myself with gratitude. It’s obvious that legislators should work throughout the week, and it’s obvious they shouldn’t be larding up the budget with unvetted spending.
It’s like going through life without running over someone with your car. I mean, I’m glad that you didn’t, but surely you don’t deserve a plaque.
Lawmakers might still be able to make worthwhile changes to the budgeting process. They could start with increasing transparency, which Carpenter noted wasn’t discussed by members of either party. But until they stop jostling for partisan advantage and making themselves look foolish, don’t expect much.
Clay Wirestone is Kansas Reflector opinion editor. Through its opinion section, Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
Kansas
Kansas City Royals Provide Injury Update on Key Reliever
![Kansas City Royals Provide Injury Update on Key Reliever Kansas City Royals Provide Injury Update on Key Reliever](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3830,h_2154,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_1440,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/fastball/01j6jpmwpjh5yj8r8erv.jpg)
After learning that they would lose first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino for the rest of the regular season (and possibly the entire postseason), the Kansas City Royals also provided an injury update on reliever Lucas Erceg.
Per Joel Goldberg of the Royals broadcast team:
Lucas Erceg is day to day. Has swelling and soreness in the hand and said he hopes to be back very soon. He’s understandably upset about the play last night. Most upset about the injury to Vinnie Pasquantino. Says his teammates, including Vinnie, supported and consoled him.
Lucas Erceg is day to day. Has swelling and soreness in the hand and said he hopes to be back very soon. He’s understandably upset about the play last night. Most upset about the injury to Vinnie Pasquantino. Says his teammates, including Vinnie, supported and consoled him.
— Joel Goldberg (@goldbergkc) August 30, 2024
Erceg and Pasquantino were injured on the same play Thursday in the loss to the Houston Astros. Erceg was hit by a batted ball, then threw the ball to first base. The throw took Pasquantino into the runner, which is where he suffered his injury.
Lucas Erceg and Vinnie Pasquantino both left the game with apparent injuries after this game-tying play in Houston
(via @BallySportsKC)pic.twitter.com/Di1779zNoe
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) August 30, 2024
The 29-year-old Erceg was acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Oakland Athletics. He’s 2-5 this season with a 3.40 ERA. In 51 appearances, he’s struck out 57 batters.
The Royals enter play on Friday at 75-60 overall. They are 1.5 games back of the Cleveland Guardians in the American League Central and they currently hold the second wild card spot in the American League.
Kansas City hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015, which is the last year they won the World Series.
The Royals and Astros will play each other again on Friday night. It will be a battle of aces as Seth Lugo (Kansas City) pitches against veteran lefty Framber Valdez for Houston.
Continue to follow our FanNation on SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.
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