"It Means the World"

Anything you do, you should aim for the highest of the high.

It’s a mantra that has served Nana Boadi-Owusu well in life, and it’s guided the personable sophomore down a road toward an engineering degree from Texas A&M--and a road that will also now have him representing the best fans in college football through one of its richest traditions.

Boadi-Owusu, who admits he’d thought about the possibility for about a year, was one of four players nominated by the staff to earn the honor. By vote of his teammates, he now becomes the next 12th Man and will make his debut August 31 when the Aggies host Notre Dame at a sold-out Kyle Field.

Boadi-Owusu, who admits he’d thought about the possibility for about a year, was one of four players nominated by the staff to earn the honor. By vote of his teammates, he now becomes the next 12th Man and will make his debut August 31 when the Aggies host Notre Dame at a sold-out Kyle Field.

Growing up the son of Ghanan immigrants and a proud Arlington Martin Warrior, Boadi-Owusu worked his tail off to balance success in the classroom with success on the football field. In his household, academics always came first. He recalls a great story about how, as an 8-year-old, he was sending book reports to his father James halfway across the world.

“Growing up, living the immigrant life, my father was in our lives, but didn’t necessarily stay with us all the time,” Boadi-Owusu remembers. “He was back in Ghana and he would call us every day. He would make us read a set amount of books (per week) and email him summaries on the books. And he would count lines.”

Boadi-Owusu said he tried to use email formatting tricks to make his summaries appear longer.

“He wouldn’t go for any of that,” he recalls with a laugh.

His mother Akua was on top of it at the house, making her kids do homework before anything else. There was no escaping academics in the Boadi-Owusu household.

“I didn’t see the benefit of it at the time, but it paid off. I graduated Martin High School with a 3.9, in the top 12-percent. So I’m thankful for that.”

He left his first sport--soccer--and started playing football in junior high at the behest of his coaches. They thought his size and smarts could be huge assets on the gridiron.

“I memorized the plays really well. I could recite every play word-for-word and I could tell you what each person was doing on offense and defense. It also gave me an excuse to start working out. I started losing weight, I started getting stronger, I started getting faster. I just became obsessed with the game.

“And then, the more and more time I put into it, because of that (Arlington Martin) pipeline…I found out I could really be good at this thing. I kept working after hours and before I knew it, I just couldn't see my life without football.”

Playing ball at Martin--which has produced a line of NFL talent --added to the motivation to aim for the top. Boadi-Owusu spent hours watching highlights of perhaps Martin’s most famous alumnus.

“I’d watch Myles Garrett highlights every day. Every day. I’d try to replicate it, but… (laughing)”

He had just one offer out of high school—East Texas Baptist in Marshall, about three hours east of home. But, his parents wanted him to attend a Power 5 school with a very strong academic reputation. Boadi-Owusu told his high school coach he wanted to walk-on at Texas A&M, and a call was immediately placed to the late Terry Price--then the Aggies’ defensive line coach. The rest is history.

“I would not be here today without that man,” Boadi-Owusu said. “I luckily got to walk on that Fall, and by the grace of God I’m here. I would not be here if not for Coach Terry Price.”

Boadi-Owusu would not see the field in that 2022 season but made an impact in practice, as he earned defensive scout team honors at the team’s annual banquet. He’d step on Kyle Field for the first time in 2023 in the season-opening win over New Mexico and would catch action in three other games. He was involved in one of the season’s most memorable moments—the 12th Man Kickoff Team’s dominating appearance in the win over ACU.

For head coach Mike Elko and his new staff, Nana Boadi-Owusu is exactly the type of player they want to exemplify the program they’re building.

“There's an unbelievable work ethic in him,” Elko said. “He's a tremendous teammate. You see the things that he's been willing to do for the program since he's been here… he's been on scout team, he's played multiple positions, he's a huge factor on special teams. He fits the culture and the selfless service that this university wants in that jersey number. I’m really excited for him.”

“All the things that are embodied by the 12th Man, that's who Nana is,” defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said. “He's truly a servant leader. He's a selfless kid. Whatever we ask him to do, he does. And I think he's a good player, too, you know? He's worked really hard to become the best football player he can be. And I think our kids really respect him. We can point to him (and say) look, this is the kind of servant-minded leader we want in this football program.”

But what was it that his teammates saw in him that made him the choice as 12th Man?

“It’s how he carries himself, every day,” defensive back Will Lee III said. “Nana comes in and works hard, and everybody sees it. He’s always a vocal guy and wants (us all) to be great. He checks up on everybody. I feel like he really sets that 12th Man standard here.”

“He embodies everything,” defensive lineman Nic Scourton added. “Scholar. Great dude, on and off the field. He works his tail off. I just think he deserved it.”

To him, it’s that respect he’s earned from his coaches and teammates that means more than he can express.

“It means the world to me,” Boadi-Owusu said. “Especially in this day in college football, you can take for granted how much it means to just simply be a good teammate and just have the respect of your team. I'm big on respect. I think I’ve just wanted it for the longest (time), especially as a walk- on. So to get voted by my teammates for the opportunity…that was the most meaningful part of getting nominated.

"To see how much my teammates, coaches, coaching staff, weight room staff respected me? That meant the world.”