From Kingston to Morgantown: WVU defensive lineman Asani Redwood's football journey

Until just about five years ago, West Virginia defensive lineman Asani Redwood didn’t know much about the sport of football. But it's hard to blame him, considering that he didn’t even grow up in the United States of America.

Redwood originally hails from Kingston, Jamaica and came to the US as a high school sophomore at 15 years old. He had played soccer growing up, and beyond TV exposure to American football, he didn’t have a ton of experience with the game.

“I didn’t know much -- I watched it on tv. So I always said if I go to America I'd be a receiver,” he told the press this past Monday.

 But it was an interesting journey that brought him to the US and subsequently to the sport of football, which mostly started with his father.

“I grew up with my mom, so it was just me and her at the time,” he said. “My dad lived in New York for a little bit with his dad, then he moved down to Georgia with his brother, my uncle. He got an apartment, so within that time he was always trying to get me and my brother here to live with him. But sometimes stuff moves a little bit slow. But the opportunity presented itself, and I got my visa.”

He met Collins Hill (GA) coach Lenny gregory at class registration and contemplated putting his soccer skill to use as a placekicker, but skipped his sophomore year due to a late start and spent the year on the wrestling team under the tutelage of the football team’s offensive line coach, before trying the sport his junior year.

“When I went out there at this point I got a growth spurt, I was like 6’2, 205, 210,” Redwood said. “So as soon as i got out there, coach beck, do-line. We were there in the summer, summer workouts, it was early mornings, lifting and out there on the field, grass wet…that was my first experience.”

But it was not an easy experience, and Redwood almost gave it up.

“Two weeks in I told my dad I wasn't gonna play no more, cause I was out there, everybody’s going through the drills so cleanly, and I'm over there falling asking so many questions, sometimes it looked like folks were annoyed by me,” he said. “My dad said, just do this year, and see how it goes, and then you let me know. My dad never wants us to quit anything.”

It was lucky for him he decided not to give it up -- he was earning varsity playing time on the same high school squad as Travis Hunter and Sam Horn halfway into his junior year, and soon attention began to pour in from college coaches, including the WVU staff.

“I started getting offers and stuff, and I just fell in love with the game,” he said.

The attention from WVU came because Gregory and WVU defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley already knew each other, and Gregory gave Lesley a call about a kid with a ton of potential that turned out to be Redwood.

“Fast forward, me and [defensive backs coach] ShaDon [Brown] both were in Atlanta…I ask him about the kid before the game and he says ‘he’s leading the state of Georgia in sacks.’ He has 19 I think at the time. Well, I watch him and nobody really knew about him at that point,” Lesley said.

“He had a sack and a half that night, one right in front of us, and everybody is there watching, I think he's at Ohio State, Kayden McDonald kid, nose guard at North Gwinnett. Everyone is there watching him, and  we see that kid. Luckily, he signed early.”

Lesley knew Redwood was new to the sport and quite a raw talent, but he saw enough that made him know he wanted to take a chance on the young talent.

“I think there are a couple of factors there,” Lesley said. “Number one, how high do you think the ceiling is? Number two, is it a schematic fit for you? And then three is probably depth,do you have the time, if he’s a developmental  guy, do we have that time at that position, and with him we did…Asani checked all those boxes, and I think his best football is definitely ahead of him.”

Redwood began to pick up the game quickly once he saw the field in high school, and became a natural student of the sport.

“After that I started to ;earn the game a lot, and I realized just listening teaches you a lot about the game…my junior and senior year is when I really blossomed. Started getting some sacks, and got my name in  the history book,” he said/

Now a redshirt sophomore, Redwood has become a vital part of WVU’s defensive line rotation, and has six tackles in four games this year. Sometimes, he still struggles to comprehend how the sport changed his life.

“It's still surreal to me now,” he said. “My dad always talks to me about it every time, like, did you really expect this to happen, or could you write this down, because if somebody told you earlier in your years that you’d go play football at West Virginia with a full scholarship ride, would you believe it?” 

“And to this day sometimes I still don’t believe it, which is why I put my all into it and try to make my dad proud and I try to show Coach [Neal] Brown I appreciate it.”