They call football a game of inches, but Oregon tackle Ajani Cornelius racked up miles chasing his gridiron dreams. Yet his heart remains home in Harlem, even now as he stars for the top-ranked college team while on the other side of the country. Pride swells in his voice when recounting his uptown upbringing and describing how his parents and older brother supported him throughout the journey.
“I started playing football when I was about nine with an organization called the Harlem Jets, and that’s what really got me into football,” Cornelius said. “I’m just so grateful for them as a program, for not only taking me [and] my friends [in] but also just giving the kids something to do. Football is not that common in New York [City], so for them to just be an organization out there helped a lot as a kid and that’s where I fell in love with football.
“In order to continue to play football and have a chance to go to college for it, I ended up going to Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, New York, which was about an hour and a half commute in the morning — two trains, two busses — and then hour and a half commute back at night —two trains, two buses.”
Despite his dedication, he garnered little recruiting interest out of high school. An initial commitment to Howard University fell through and Cornelius went to Rhode Island University, where he started as a freshman.
Two strong seasons led him to hit the transfer portal, where he ultimately flipped field positions with the University of Oregon Ducks. While the “swaggy” jerseys certainly spoke to Cornelius as a Harlemite, he credits the people for bringing him out west. He says his teammates made him feel at home in Eugene — nearly 3,000 miles away from New York City. He even embraced Polynesian culture thanks to the number of Pacific Islander players on the roster.
On the field, Cornelius continued his success on college football’s highest level, finishing last season without giving up a sack and earning an All-PAC-12 honorable mention. He returned for his senior year, with Oregon making a move to the Big Ten Conference. Over the preseason, Football Writers of America named him on the watchlist for the Outland Trophy, which is awarded to the college football’s best lineman.
Like most star tackles, Cornelius plays a thankless role in the trenches. But the unheralded star is key to keeping Oregon quarterbacks like Heisman frontrunner Dillon Gabriel and current Denver Broncos starter Bo Nix upright over the last two years. In no small part to Cornelius, the Ducks are currently undefeated and ranked first in the Associated Press Top 25 through week nine of the college football season.
But the Harlemite still makes time for those back home, even as he looks to win a national championship and prepare for the NFL. Jackie Rowe-Adams, founder of Harlem Mothers and Fathers S.A.V.E. (which stands for Stop Another Violent End), recalls the recent effort he made helping her send flowers to his mother just days before a big game.
“When he started football, he was with the little [Harlem] Jets,” said Rowe-Adams. “That’s the connection — the connection of just being involved in school, school programs and community [like] watching his mother and his grandmother and his father out there in the world working hard in the community.
“He kept that connection when he went away for college. He was always one, on his holiday breaks, [to choose to] come back home…he didn’t lose sight of where he came from and who needed him in this Harlem community.”
Rowe-Adams and Cornelius’ family go way back — the prominent anti-gun violence advocate knew his grandmother and saw him grow up alongside her organization as a consistent volunteer. He continues to engage with Harlem’s youth through “Back 2 School,” a book bag giveaway at Wagner Playground on 120th he started this past summer and hopes to maintain as an annual tradition.
“Because of how young I am, I can relate to them a little more, especially the kids in Harlem because I was just in their shoes,” he said. “I know everything around them, and I know what they’re seeing and what they’re hearing, so I can talk to them in a way that they understand, and I can relate to them that way. Also as an athlete. I can push them towards better goals and show them the way to be [and] which way to go.”
Such impact can be life changing, as anti-gun violence efforts like Harlem Mothers and Fathers S.A.V.E. depend on developing self-worth and positive role models among local youth to prevent shootings and foster higher goals.
“I’m telling you, he got some young fans,” Rowe-Adams said. “They’re waiting next summer for him to come back and he has talked to the kids and let them know you can do and be whatever you choose to be, and how important it is to go to school…they know all about Ajani. They know he’s number 65 and they’d be around him saying ‘65! 65!’”
Ultimately, playing on Sundays seems destined for Cornelius. But he is also game planning for a future off the gridiron.
“Obviously I want to play pro, but I’m also very interested in entrepreneurship and creating something of my own,” he said. “And obviously I want to continue to have an impact on my community and [on] the youth in New York, specifically Harlem.”
Cornelius hesitates for a second, then thinks bigger. After all, it’s not hard for the 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman.
“Actually not just [in] Harlem, but all the youth I can impact.”
Tandy Lau is a Report for America corps member who writes about public safety for the Amsterdam News. Your donation to match our RFA grant helps keep him writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://bit.ly/amnews1.
he a future star in life courtesy of his parents.