COLUMBIA — There are plenty of inspiring high-school recruiting stories in the country, especially in South Carolina. The journey of Onis Konanbanny, though, is unique. On Aug.
23, the Heathwood Hall Episcopal School senior made his anticipated commitment to the University of Tennessee, choosing the Volunteers over Florida State. The moment of jubilation, when he revealed his bright orange polo shirt, was a symbol of his hard work starting to pay off. The road Konanbanny traveled to that day reveals why his smile so big.
The senior spent most of his early life overseas; he was born in France, and lived here until he was about five years old. When Konanbanny and his family visited a family member in London, he didn’t know that the capital of England would become their new home. “We went to London for one of my cousin’s birthday parties, and just ended up staying there,” Konanbanny said.
“It was crazy because in my mind, I’m thinking we’re going back to France, but my mom said she likes (London), so we just stayed there and signed me up for school.” He described life in London as something that took getting used to. “There’s a lot going on, (but) it’s beautiful and clean,” Konanbanny said.
“It has so many cultures, you’d fit in anywhere.” For Konanbanny, American football was not a central part of his childhood, but rather soccer. It was not until he was in secondary school when he was introduced to American football by a good friend.
Kofi Taylor-Barrocks , who is currently a linebacker at Texas-El Paso, met Konanbanny through a friend at St. Matthew’s Primary School. He asked Konabanny to come to a football practice.
“He was like ‘Oh, do you play American football? You got the size and everything for it,’” Konabanny said. “He started playing American football and pulled me to practice. (That’s when) COVID came, and everything shut down.
” Konanbanny didn’t let the pandemic stop him, though, so he contacted Kojo Oteng, better known as Coach XL . Oteng is the founder of XL Performance , a football program that has trained aspiring British players since 2019. “So I called Coach XL and we ran into him almost everyday.
When we (weren’t) going to Coach XL, Kofi was going to the NFL Academy back in London. It really started with Kofi, for real,” Konanbanny said. Top-rated wide receiver prospect in SC sidelined by knee injury It didn’t take long for him to switch from soccer to American football.
“It was a really smooth transition,” Konanbanny said. “Since I had played soccer, my footwork was already elite. I just needed to switch some things and be more specific and learn about the game, but (my) footwork made it way easier to start playing football and being DB (defensive back).
” After training in London for a few years, the Heathwood Hall senior made the trip to America. He arrived at his first American school, Rabun Gap-Nacoochee High School in Georgia, with just a single suitcase of belongings. Today's Top Headlines Story continues below Lindsey Graham emerges as Trump's top South Carolina surrogate — but on his own terms 'I got that .
.. on video': SC man recovering after being bitten by world's most venomous snake Longstanding Mexican-inspired restaurant closes Mount Pleasant location Brett Favre Sends Blunt Message To Americans Before Presidential Election Myrtle Beach-area development could add shopping center, hundreds of homes and 501 traffic light 'A few miles really made a big difference': Storm's late shift spares Myrtle Beach area Speakeasy-inspired bar for the LGBTQ+ community opens in North Charleston Teenager killed, 2 juveniles injured in Lowcountry apartment complex shooting Mother of missing 2nd grader found dead calls for justice, says school was negligent Clemson's kickoff time with Stanford set “I was really so excited to get out and fly to America for the first time,” Konabanny said.
“It was my first time taking a plane, too.” Rabun Gap-Nacoochee is located approximately two hours northwest of Atlanta, near the Georgia-Tennessee border. The school sits in the middle of mountains, just a few minutes north of Clayton, Ga.
Konabanny arrived at night, not able to check out his surroundings until the next morning. The mountains, coupled with grey skies and beautiful scenery, greeted Konanbanny. The transition from England to Georgia was easier than expected, according to Konanbanny.
“I was ready, this was my plan,” he said. “I had a goal, so this is like a business trip, that’s how I see it.” 'It's go time': How Clemson freshman Bryant Wesco Jr.
worked toward a breakout debut In 2022, Konanbanny transferred from Rabun Gap-Nacoochee to Columbia’s Heathwood Hall, where he made an immediate impact on the football team. He credits the school for supporting his journey. “They’ve been behind me all the way,” Konanbanny said.
“That’s why I stayed, because it’s really a family.” As a junior, Konanbanny recorded six pass defensed, eight solo tackles and 20 total tackles. He doubled as a wide receiver as well, scoring three touchdowns.
The 6-2, 175-pound cornerback racked up a total of 43 offers , and visited the campuses of Utah, North Carolina and LSU , on top of Florida State and Tennessee, before choosing the Vols. The four-star recruit garnered massive attention during recruiting season, which included taking FaceTime calls from NFL pros like Jalen Ramsey . The Volunteers were the first school to send an offer to Konanbanny.
After his first visit, he had a feeling that this would be his college home. “It’s like they know me inside out,” Konanbanny said. “If anything goes wrong, they don’t need to call my mom all the way in London.
It’s just a support system.” The French-born player has stated that he wanted to use the game of football to help his family. His commitment to Tennessee is the first step towards that goal.
“It feels great because (it’s) everything I wanted to do,” Konanbanny said. “I’ve seen the houses there and I’m like, ‘That’s the type of house I want to move my family to, right next to that lake there.’” Etching for Eddie: Gamecocks' midfield logo this season is a tribute.
