Football is normally noisy with whistles, booming crowds, and crushing hits, but senior offensive tackle Tunde Fatukasi is bringing a whole new sound to the sport.
“I’ll just go in my bedroom and put on some headphones and just start drumming on like a bowl or anything,” Fatukasi said.
The six-foot-five, 320-pound lineman completely dwarfs any drum set he comes across as he makes drumsticks look like toothpicks in his hands. No matter the situation, Fatukasi always looks for times to lay down a beat.
“Anywhere I go, and they have a set, I ask if I can play, jam out for a little, and they usually say, yeah, sure.”
Fatukasi carries his explosive energy everywhere he goes, regardless of if it is on a field or in a music studio, which was backed up by his offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator Greg Nosal, emphasizing his importance.
“He’s got a great sense of humor, people gravitate towards him, and looks just like a big old grizzly bear,” Nosal said.
For the offensive tackle, God is his number one motivator, with his love for music being sparked from Sunday mornings spent with his family at church.
“When I was like six years old, I was going to church every Sunday, and I would see the drummers perform, and I just wanted to drum and show my abilities for the church,” Fatukasi said.
The senior made it clear that football will always come first and will be his primary drive as he hopes to join his brothers Folorunso and Olakunle, who play in the NFL for the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams, respectively.
“When I’m playing football, football is what I do when I’m on the field making plays, that’s just something that’s in me, but drumming on the other side is just something that I do for fun,” he said.
The Far Rockaway, New York, native transferred from Rutgers University in 2022 and has fallen completely head over heels for Bowling Green.
“BG teaches you so much about life beyond your career and how to just be a better person, how to just do the simple things right, and that’s why I love BG because BG is a family-oriented school, I love it,” Fatukasi stated.
You can catch Fatukasi all season at Doyt Perry Stadium as the Falcons search for their first Mid-American-Conference (MAC) Championship since 2015.
