Alex Afari once loved soccer but now thrives on the gridiron. (Photo by Vicky Graff)

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Alex Afari was a four-star defensive back out of Cincinnati who was a top 225 player nationally who has been a God-send for the Kentucky defense because of his versatility.

He has played in 38 career games with 21 starts going into his final season and after being recruited as cornerback has been used at safety as well a hybrid linebacker/defensive back. Last year he was moved to inside linebacker despite weighing less than 230 pounds but was still third on the team in tackles with 62.

Afari, a preseason all-Southeastern Conference pick, had an unusual journey to get to where he is now. He was born in Pordenone, Italy,  but his parents were originally from Ghana and moved back there where he said he played “real football.” Of course, real football in Ghana is soccer, not the type of football he’s playing now.

His family moved to the United States and he wanted to keep playing “football” like he had in Ghana.

“My neighbor was Kaleb Johnson. He’s a rookie running back for the Steelers (who played at Iowa). His grandpa signed me up for football,” Afari explained at SEC Media Days in Atlanta.  “First day of practice, they put a helmet on me and some shoulder pads.”

Afari, age 8, made it clear that was not the type of football he wanted to play but Johnson’s grandfather would not let him quit.

“Just blessed to be here now,” Afari said.

It was not an easy transition to American football. He said he was not a “natural” when he started playing. He played tight end and offensive line because of his size before finally moving to running back and then defensive end before finally switching to the secondary as a high school sophomore.


“I started really becoming good at football in seventh grade. It took me some time,” he said. “I just learned off the fly. Kaleb Johnson’s grandpa brought me to the football field every day with him. We were just practicing out in the backyard.”

Afari said the transition from soccer to football was a difficult adjustment and it was not easy for him to understand all the rules, especially why a field goal was sometimes worth three points but then only one point (for an extra point).

“I think by my eighth grade, seventh grade year, that’s when I truly understood everything that comes with football,” Afari said.

Obviously, he had to make other adjustments after his family moved from Ghana to Ohio. His favorite food remains jollof rice, a West African stew made with rice, chili peppers and meat or fish, that his mom makes better than anyone else. He has not been able to find jollof rice in Kentucky.

Hot, humid summer weather in Kentucky and Ohio? No problem.

“It’s not even close to Ghana. It’s real hot in Ghana. It stays hot the whole year,” he said.

He also does not miss soccer.

“I don’t really play soccer. I used to when I was younger,” he said. “I used to play at recess during elementary grade.”

Now he’s hoping to eventually play in the NFL like his former neighbor, Kaleb Johnson, is this season. He’s worked to become a stronger, more explosive player knowing that will help him anchor the defense at inside linebacker.

He had big games last year with 10 tackles against Tennessee and 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks against Florida.

“I’m closer to the ball (at linebacker). I can make more plays when I’m closer to the ball. It was a great transition. I feel like this is the year for me. Put on some weight. I’m at 230 now. I feel good about this year,” he said.

“It was a big difference (moving to linebacker) because at DB you don’t really focus too much on O-linemen. You go at receivers. Being in the box, it’s a big difference seeing guard pulls and misdirections and getting everybody on the same page.”

Afari believes Kentucky has grown as a team after last year’s 4-8 finish.

“I feel like this is the closest our team has ever been since I’ve been here. I truly feel that way,” Afari said. “I feel like once we all know each other on a personal level, I feel like if you really know your brothers, during game days, you want to fight a little harder for them.

“We know what happened last year. We addressed it. We’re going to grow from it. We’re going to play with a chip on our shoulder. Makes us more hungry this year to prove everybody wrong, seeing everybody putting us last in the SEC. We have a chip on our shoulder and are ready to prove people wrong.”

Afari knows one thing UK has to do better this year if that is going to happen.

“Just finishing games. Finishing in general. We will start off great then by the fourth quarter we’re not the same as the first quarter,” Afari said. “We’ve just got to be able to finish out games and finish out each quarter.”