Lindenhurst (N.Y.) senior defensive line prospect Olasunkonmi Agunloye intended on waiting until the Regular Signing Period in February to officially decide his college future. Those plans changed when he took an official visit to the University of Virginia the weekend of December 13-15.

“UVA was one of my last visits before the Early Signing Period,” recalled the 6’6”, 240-pound defensive line prospect who goes by "Su." “I was expecting to sign late. I just felt it when I went there. The vibe from the campus itself, the energy off it. It was still a very tough decision. It was either UCLA or UVA at that point. I decided UVA seems like the place for me. I wrote out pros and cons, making sure I was making the right decision. I knew if I waited until the late period I would maybe get a lot more offers, but knowing I was one of the people Virginia had been looking at for a while, and the visit just clicked, I thought I might as well [sign]. They wanted me and I wanted them.”

The last-minute decision to sign early “was a huge relief and it was very exciting at the same time,” Agunloye said. “The relief was that my recruitment was over now. I was getting recruited and hit up by a lot of coaches. All of those coaches stopped calling. It was exciting seeing my name published by Virginia as an incoming recruit.”

Agunloye, named to Newsday’s Top 100 Long Island list following a 17-sack junior season, earned a scholarship offer from Virginia in July of 2019. He kept up his high level of play his senior season – Lindenhurst finished 12-0 and won a Long Island championship with the help of Agunloye, who played offensive tackle and defensive end and earned third-team all-state honors. Meanwhile, the interest from the Cavaliers remained.

“They saw me as a versatile type. Someone who could play defensive end or defensive tackle and who they can move around on the line a lot,” Agunloye said. “They compared me to one specific player Coach Mendenhall coached at BYU. I can’t remember his name. They showed me film and the way they used him. They intend to do the same thing with me.”

UCLA and UVA were the only two official visits before a decision was made. New Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano pushed hard, traveling via helicopter to recruit Agunloye, but Virginia wound up snaring the promising recruit.

“It’s really just that family feeling that I got from [his official visit to UVA],” Agunloye said. “You can really feel the momentum when talking to all of them. They are really close and they care about their players. And the way they turned the program around in a short amount of time says a lot.”

Agunloye played football, basketball, and track in high school. As his high school career progressed, he focused more on football, but the thought of becoming a major college recruit wasn’t a serious one until after Lindenhurst’s 2018 campaign. That’s when Agunloye, a junior at the time, started receiving college attention. He wound up with a scholarship list that went well into double digits and included FBS schools such as Air Force, Army, Boston College (under former coach Steve Addazio), Pittsburgh, Rutgers (the former staff and the new staff with Schiano), Syracuse, UCLA, and Virginia.

Virginia would ultimately sway the 247Sports and Rivals.com 3-star defensive end to take an official, and the rest is history. Along the way, Agunloye developed an appreciation for his future head coach.

“He’s a man who believes in hard work,” Agunloye said of Bronco Mendenhall. “He’s straightforward in the way he talks to people. I can tell he is a wise man. He really looks into statistics a lot. That’s something I like about him because it means he pays attention to small things. He really cares about his team. Most of his staff came from BYU, so they are tight knit.”

Defensive line coach Vic So’oto served as Agunloye’s primary recruiter for Virginia. In mid-February, So’oto left UVA for the same position at USC. The Cavaliers have since filled the position with former Virginia football star Clint Sintim.

“At first I was definitely shocked,” Agunloye said of So’oto’s departure. “I knew the Virginia staff didn’t change that often, so it was a surprise to see someone leave, especially my position coach. Then Clint came in and called right away. He tried to make an effort to get to know me. He said he knows it’s crazy that I’m not even in my freshman year and getting a change so quick, but he wanted to build a relationship with me and get to know me. I’m comfortable with him. He seems like a guy willing to do anything for his players.”

Agunloye says he has “only a couple of classes” left to finish before he graduates from Lindenhurst. He adds that he’s “incredibly excited to start this next step.” Not much is certain in this time of a global pandemic, though, including when many colleges will allow students back on campus.

Virginia Director of Football Development & Performance Shawn Griswold provided Agunloye with some workout information, which the future Hoo utilizes as guidance in his workouts. He does field work, frequents a neighbor’s garage that includes some weight equipment, and technique work. Additionally, Agunloye has seen Virginia’s defensive line meetings, which are being conducted through Zoom. This has helped him get a better idea of the defensive formations and plays.

Agunloye wants to be as prepared as possible for the start of his Cavalier career, whenever that may be.

“It’s really uncertain,” Agunloye said. “No one knows. Coach says we have to take advantage of the time we have at home, so when we get to campus we can go full speed and really catch up as a team.”

Virginia signed three defensive line prospects in the class of 2020, including Agunloye, Jahmeer Carter, and Nusi Malani. The Hoos return a deep group of defensive linemen, a mix of experience and talented youth. Barring injury, none of the three incoming recruits should be forced into action.

For Agunloye, it's about trusting the process.

“Really whatever the coaches believe is best,” Agunloye said. “Of course, everyone wants to play as a freshman. If I get on the field any way I can, I’m fine with that. Hopefully, I’ll make good enough strides to get playing time this year. If not, everyone has to wait their turn.”