As athletes, many kids dream of being able to play the sport they love for their job. For football players, this means playing in the NFL. Making a career in the pros can be a difficult path, but it can’t hurt when you have inspiration from a parent at home.
Highland junior, Jeremiah Jimoh, is a football player at Highland this year. Players know that to have a career in the pros, you need to have a standout high school career. Jimoh always stands out and draws spectator’s eyes with his bright green gloves and his plays.
Jimoh’s dad, Ade Jimoh, played college football at Utah State before joining the NFL at 23 years old. Ade played four years for the Washington Commanders, formerly known as the Washington Redskins, one year

with the Chicago Bears, and a preseason with the New England Patriots. He played cornerback, but also was a strong special teams’ player.
“I mean, I have shoes to fill,” Jimoh said. “There’s a legacy I think I have to live up to, but he doesn’t put that much pressure on me.”
With a lot of time and experience playing football on a professional level, Ade commends Highland football for their hard work despite a few tough losses.
“You know, I’m happy for them,” Ade said. “You learn a lot more at times when losing then you might when winning. You have to get through the tough times to appreciate the good times.”
Highland has won three games so far this season, against Bear River at the first home game, Murray at an away game, and against Cottonwood at the homecoming game, winning 52-9. However, they have also had a few defeats.
Ade sees a lot of value in losing. He never had a winning season throughout his college career, and he knows that it can be tough, but he appreciates how Highland players work together and persevere through the tough times.

“The losses are something that we can overcome as a team,” Jimoh said. “I believe we can win out the rest of our season.”
Jimoh is No. 3 and plays as a wide receiver and cornerback on the team. He feels like football has been a great start to the year, but also feels like he hasn’t been super productive.
After suffering a few losses, Jimoh explained that the team just tries to learn from their mistakes and what went wrong in the game. They try to move on to the next week and to the next game without dwelling too much on the previous loss.
“Practice is hard, it’s very hard,” Jimoh said. “Not a lot of people can do it and that’s why they quit, but I think if it’s for you, then you’ll love it.”
Jimoh was coached by his dad when he was younger and there was a lot of football talk from a young age. Now that Jimoh is older and is playing and practicing on a high school team, Ade had tried to let him make his own path.
Whenever Jimoh wants to talk, Ade is there to listen. He tries not to act like too much of a coach, but he does a little here and there. He thinks that ultimately, he and Jimoh have a lot of fun.
Ade is always there to support Jimoh through the tough times that come with football. Even when the game is not going as planned for Highland, Jimoh knows his dad is there for him.
“My dad has never missed one of my games so far in my high school career,” Jimoh said.
Ade is always in the bleachers watching Jimoh’s games. He never misses games and is always there to support Jimoh whether Highland is winning or losing. He is usually sitting to the side of the Black Hole, further away from other parents. For him, games are more enjoyable when he can focus rather than conversing.
Ade would consider himself a hyper-competitive person, but he has learned how to not be so hyper-competitive when watching Jimoh’s games. He likes to focus on the game, what’s happening on the field, and he likes to guess the plays and what the coaches are going to do.
“At the end of the day, winning is winning,” Jimoh said. “Losing never gets better.”
Last season, Highland only had one win against Murray at the homecoming game. With the difficult season, the team missed its opportunity to compete in the playoffs and had to watch as others continued on.
With a final game this week against East on Wednesday, the football team hopes to have secured a spot in the playoffs. And Ade will be there, carefully watching.