Bolu Olorunfunmi – Running Back – Senior – UCLA
Alex Khvatov: What are your measurements (height, weight and forty time)?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: I am 5’11, 225 and my last forty was a 4.62.
Alex Khvatov: What is the meaning of your name Bolu?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: It is Nigerian. I was born there and came to CA when I was two years old. It means God gave me. God’s wish.
Alex Khvatov: Coming out of high school, what programs showed interest in
you?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: It came down to Fresno State, Northwestern, UCLA and Stanford.
Alex Khvatov: Why did you choose UCLA?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: I love the area. It is a mecca where you can connect with people. I wanted to play in the PAC-12. UCLA was a great fit for me from the community and environment standpoint.
Alex Khvatov: What are your strengths?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: My football IQ, experience and size. I am able to take and give hits. I am able to get the first down on those 3rd& 1 plays. I am able to pick up the inside LB coming on the blitz. I am an all-around player. I am more of an inside runner, but I can get outside. I can set up blocks and get yards.
Alex Khvatov: What areas of your game are you trying to improve upon?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Catching. I didn’t have a lot of plays where they threw me the ball. I need to answer the call and work on it during training.
Alex Khvatov: Describe your overall career to us.
Bolu Olorunfunmi: I was surrounded by a lot of talent my freshman year. Paul Perkins was the starting back. We had a RB’s coach Kennedy Polamalu who coached Reggie Bush. He taught me what it takes to be a back at this level. I learned the fundamentals of how to play RB. We had a tough season my sophomore year. We went 4-8. It built me up as a man. I learned how to work harder. I had my best year as a junior. I started the first game and then didn’t play. I had to earn my starting job again. I put up good numbers, catching and running the ball. I haven’t been the best on paper. But I have good inside running ability. Take a look at the film. I have good size. I have the work ethic and I am coachable. My whole career has been an experience. I still need to tap into that potential. I know that I am capable of it.
Alex Khvatov: Have you recovered from the concussion that you suffered during your senior year?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: I am 100% right now. We have a policy at the school that if you get two concussions in a short span, they don’t allow you to come back. UCLA tried to protect me and my health. I have never had a concussion before.
Alex Khvatov: It was a tough senior season for the Bruins, what has head coach Chip Kelly brought to the program? Is he going to be able to turn the program around?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Chip Kelly brings a lot. He develops guys. He makes guys believe. This is a development school. It is not only about football. He develops future CEO’s and husbands. He changed the whole culture. They will have success. He found players. He has young guys with talent. In one or two years, people are going to fear this program. He has a good staff. They are getting stronger and faster. Everything is for the better. We had a down season last year, but it created an experience. It will be a better season next year.
Alex Khvatov: What was it like to play in the same backfield as QB Josh Rosen?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: It was an honor. It was a privilege. He is a talented QB. He is smart. It was an honor playing with him. I like how he handled situations.
Alex Khvatov: What is the highlight of your career up to this point?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: The highlight of my career was against Texas A&M. It was the opening game last year. It was great the way we came back. It showed what a total team effort is like. We never gave up even when things looked bleak. We kept fighting. It was one of the greatest moments at UCLA.
Alex Khvatov: What is your favorite NFL team?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: My favorite team was the Seahawks. But I haven’t been faithful to just one team in recent years. I am just watching different teams and players now. I appreciate football.
Alex Khvatov: Who is your favorite NFL player?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Todd Gurley. He can hurt a team running the ball or running routes. He is a big body. He is fast. I respect him as a man. He is my idol as a RB and a football player in the league. He is also very humble.
Alex Khvatov: What is the most important trait for a RB?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Never being satisfied. If you want to make it in the league, you have to critique yourself. You have to be hard on yourself. The standard has to be high. You have to do the little things that can make you a legend. You have to be hard on yourself.
Alex Khvatov: Before the ball is snapped, what are the tendencies that you are looking for from the defense?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Their first movement. I know as an offensive player where the play is supposed to go. If it is an outside run, the DL could take the outside away, and I have to look for a cutback or a cut up.
Alex Khvatov: What other players on your team should we keep an eye on
next season?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Josh Kelley, Kazmeir Allen and Martell Irby. Josh Kelley should have another big year next season.
Alex Khvatov: Who is the toughest player that you have faced on an opposing team?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Bryce Love my junior year. He was a stud. He was going off. He was hitting holes and showing the speed on the field. He was showing off his true RB skills.
Alex Khvatov: What do you enjoy most about football?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: The camaraderie and the connections. I made so many friends and built so many relationships through football. It is the main reason. Even when you go through the pain and the heartache, it is all worth it. I love playing football. You can feel my passion on the field when I am running the ball or playing special teams.
Alex Khvatov: Who is your biggest role model and why?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: My mom. She is a single mother. She has been to every game. She was helping me get through every game. She does so much for me.
Alex Khvatov: What is your definition of a leader?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Someone doing the right thing when no one is watching. Someone who will always get the job done.
Alex Khvatov: What are your hobbies?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Music. It is a passion of mine. I sang in a church choir as a child. I was always surrounded by music.
Alex Khvatov: What do you want to do with your life after your football
career is over?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: I do know that I want to help people somehow.
Alex Khvatov: What is the biggest lesson that you have learned in life so far?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: At the end of the day, I need to be mature enough and make good decisions. People can’t live my life. Everything comes and starts with me.
Alex Khvatov: What five words best describe you?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Determined, funny, hard-working, respectable and a God-fearing man.
Alex Khvatov: Who will win the National Championship in CFB this year (Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame or Oklahoma)?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: Alabama. Jalen Hurts will lead them there.
Alex Khvatov: Who will win Super Bowl LIII in February?
Bolu Olorunfunmi: The Rams. They deserve it this year.
