Indiana’s Adedamola Ajani Embracing the Moment - and Every Position on the Line
BLOOMINGTON - When Indiana needed someone to step up on the offensive line, Adedamola Ajani didn’t just answer the call - he sprinted through the door, shoulder pads first.
The redshirt freshman has been a quiet revelation for the undefeated Hoosiers (13-0), stepping into the starting lineup late in the season and showing a level of poise and versatility well beyond his years. First, he filled in at left guard for the injured Drew Evans.
Then, when Bray Lynch struggled during the Big Ten Championship Game, Ajani flipped sides and took over at right guard - a mid-game adjustment that would rattle most young linemen. Not Ajani.
Now, heading into the Rose Bowl against Alabama, Ajani says he’s preparing to play at right tackle - potentially making it three different positions in three straight games. But ask him about it, and he shrugs it off with the kind of confidence that only comes from preparation and trust in the system.
“It don’t really matter where I’m at,” Ajani said with a grin. “I’ve played every position possible on the line. Wherever they need me, I’m ready to go anytime.”
That flexibility didn’t come out of nowhere. Ajani, a former three-star recruit out of Speedway High School, had offers from programs like West Virginia, Duke, and Louisville, but chose to stay in-state and build something in Bloomington. After redshirting last year, he’s made the most of his opportunity this season, earning snaps alongside a veteran group that features five multi-year starters.
And while the experience around him has certainly helped, Ajani is quick to credit offensive line coach Bob Bostad as the driving force behind his development.
“You aren’t going to find a coach that’s so bought into football as Coach Bostad,” Ajani said at Rose Bowl media day. “Every single detail, he’s on us for every single thing. That’s really helped us as a group grow exponentially.”
Bostad’s resume speaks for itself - 11 All-Americans during his time at Wisconsin - but his impact on Ajani has been personal and profound. Under Bostad’s guidance, Ajani has sharpened his technique and embraced the mental side of the game. The physical tools have always been there, but now he’s pairing them with the fundamentals that make a lineman reliable on every snap.
“If you have bad technique, you aren’t going to be able to move guys off the line,” Ajani said. “You got to have the technique, then you put the physicality and mental part together, and everything comes together.”
It’s that combination - physicality, mental toughness, and technical polish - that’s allowed Ajani to hold his own against some of the most talented defensive fronts in the country. And despite the stage getting bigger, his mindset hasn’t changed.
“I don’t feel pressure,” he said. “When you feel pressure, you start making mistakes. You have to be confident.”
That confidence is hard-earned, and it’s coming at just the right time. Indiana is preparing for the biggest game in program history - a Rose Bowl showdown with Alabama - and Ajani is soaking in every second of it.
“I’m just taking it all in,” he said. “I haven’t been playing football for too long.
Being in this type of surrounding is just crazy to me. I’m just enjoying it.”
For a young lineman thrown into the fire, Ajani isn’t just surviving - he’s thriving. And as Indiana chases a national title, they’ll be counting on his steady presence, wherever he lines up.