I became completely obsessed with proving people wrong on my first day of junior high.

According to most of my friends, I was supposed to be good at basketball because I was Black. Contrary to their belief, I was absolutely terrible. 

This is when I became furious. Not because I wasn’t good -- I’m okay with not being good at everything -- but I wanted nothing more than to prove to people that I could excel at whatever I wanted. 

From Dartmouth, N.S., to facing off against Joe Burrow, it’s that drive from junior high which has allowed me to succeed thus far in life.

I was cut from my junior varsity basketball team but refused to accept it. I constantly emailed, texted and called the coach until he let me practice with the team. By the end of that season, I was starting and had won the “Coaches Award.” By the end of my high school career, I was a captain and the MVP of the team. 

I had always been “The Guy” on the football team. I was raw, but my work ethic and nose for the football was undeniable. By my senior season I would go on recruiting trips with other players and be left high and dry while they smiled ear-to-ear with offers. 

I only received one offer. It was from Acadia University for $1,000, which in my eyes looked good, but on the inside, only I knew how disappointed I was. My heart drew back to the basketball journey in junior high. 

Although these coaches didn’t directly tell me I wasn’t good enough when they looked me in my eyes and said, “you’d be a great walk-on” or “sorry, we don’t have any scholarships available,” they fuelled a fire still burning today. They indirectly challenged my character, and, in my mind, I was back on that court, basketball in my hands and the doubters looking down on me telling me I wasn’t good enough for who I was supposed to be. 

Photo courtesy of David Cox Photography

This is when I got a chance of a lifetime. 

The only option I had was to go to Acadia and prove every school wrong, including them. Or was it? I had received the chance to go to Champlain in Quebec and play CEGEP to try and turn more heads. Being me and knowing my history, I bet you can feel what decision came next. I took the leap of faith and went to Champlain. 

Fast forward a year and I had a breakout season: first-team all-star, undefeated season and a Bol D’or championship. I had begun to hear from every single school in Canada. 

I was quickly rising up the signing boards and was the No. 8 prospect in Canada by the end of the season. That’s when the dream of playing in the NCAA had changed from farfetched to attainable reality. 

But again, I hit a brick wall. 

I had replicated everything the guys who had lots of offers did, but nothing was working. I used to book up the computer lab with some friends and run my highlight tape view count up. I fashioned my emails like theirs, called over 90 schools each week until they answered trying to get a hold of these coaches. 

Nothing was working and even when I got through, coaches were sceptical. The University of Hawaii coach even said, “what’s wrong with you, why are you still available?” How do I respond to that? 

There were days, nights, and moments where I felt lost in my purpose. But every morning, I refocused my lens and it was back to business. I knew in my heart that someone would find me. 

That turned out to be true. I got the call from Southeastern Louisiana University, a small school in Hammond, La., and within days of following up, I had received a full scholarship. 

There’s no better feeling. 

Waking up in Hammond was a blessing each and every day. I have so many good moments shared between people that have become family for life. The unique cultures and backgrounds have weaved their way into my understandings and I truly feel like Louisiana is my home. Being in SEC country, there are lots of times I feel like I’ve made my presence felt. 

The intensity was always there playing against the Louisiana State University Tigers, but I feel like one of my more violent games was against the Ole Miss Rebels. With their illustrious history, it’s hard not to have excitement by playing a good game against them. I had a lot of pressure from the outside because I historically play well against big time competition and I would be lying if I said this wasn’t on my mind that day. 

This allowed me to attack my opponents and physically they could not match my intensity. Finishing that game with two sacks, three forced fumbles, 10 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss was unheard of and I’m proud to say that they knew who I was in Oxford, Miss., that day. 

I went into it with a similar mindset of playing LSU -- being the most violent and devastating human possible in all situations. My breakout game was one I’ll never forget, playing against the Tigers.

I prepared for it like the rest, except I had been visualizing the moment for years. Ever since an old teammate sent me a picture a 2015 article stating the matchup against LSU and Southeastern had been set. 

I understood who they were and watched them grow over the years while I sat back at Southeastern and waited for my turn to rip them to shreds. I was playing against guys I used to dream about competing against and if that wasn’t motivation enough, my family had travelled almost 3,000 kilometres to watch me play for the first time in four years. 

The sound of the mighty band and the notorious crowd of 100,000 fans was a culture shock from the usual 50 fans present at the Burnside Turf in Dartmouth. Reminiscing on it now, it was like that moment in the movie where you can hear the slow breaths and the subtle racing heartbeats. Everything was silent. 

I beat the chip block from the right offensive tackle and running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire. I saw what I had been seeing for years -- the ball flying through the air as Joe Burrow, the 2020 NFL Draft first-overall pick, came smashing down to the ground.  

The crowd’s reaction lifted me off the ground as I looked for my family. Suddenly, it was silent once more. 

A flash of the small steps, the necessary steps, I had to take to get to this point flashed before my eyes. The missed birthdays, holidays, vacations, celebrations and moments briefly passed before my conscience as I exploded with emotion. The roaring of the fans resumed. But in that moment, I knew it was for real. A small-town kid had made the ground shake in this hostile territory like never before.   

Being drafted by the Calgary Stampeders and returning to Canada feels amazing, especially since I am somewhere that I am wanted. Much like my journey to Southeastern, I didn’t know who, but knew someone would find me. It feels great to say the beast from the east is back. 

There will always be a chip on my shoulder no matter what stage of life I’m in. A lot of people ask me about the NFL and what my plans are. This is about the present moment and I’m extremely grateful to have been granted the opportunity to compete at the professional level in my home country with a highly prestigious organization in the Stampeders. I want people to know I’ve always done anything to win and will continue to do so.

My message to the fans is this: I am married to this game. There’s a constant fire in me that grows with the obsession of success. 

You were right about this one. 

I am a devastator. 

I am a destroyer. 

I am Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund.  

Photo courtesy of David Cox Photography