Canada-born Lynch always had RB success in his sights

The pressure of others’ expectations weighed on Akeel Lynch.

There were people telling Lynch he couldn’t achieve his goals, trying to pull him down. There were people praising him, trying to get close to Lynch so they could share in his future success. Lynch was a sophomore at St. Michael’s College School in Canada and turned to vice principal Emile John throughout the trying year.

“I think that was a year when there was a lot of noise around him,” said John, who coached Lynch in track and field.

Lynch regularly went to John’s office to talk about academics and athletics and life. Conversations often revolved around track and field. But they also often discussed life experiences and connected through their similar upbringings — Lynch and John were both raised by a single parent in the inner city. Lynch, whose father was murdered when he was 7, felt comfortable going to John’s office at any time, meeting him before or after school, or at lunch.

During his sophomore year, the “noise” was getting to Lynch as he considered leaving St. Michael’s College School for the United States in pursuit of a scholarship to play college football. John said Lynch responded to the pressure by working that much harder.

But there were times Lynch showed signs of doubt in John’s office.

John saw it in his slumped shoulders and in the look on his face. The vice principal would remind him of his gifts and tell him to keep working. He recalls one conversation when the pressure had clearly become a burden.

John told Lynch to block out the praise and the negativity.

“You got to dig deep and believe in yourself,” John said.

Lynch left St. Michael’s College School for St. Francis High School in New York, the first step on his path to earning a scholarship to college. He starred at St. Francis and landed at Penn State. He contributed as a redshirt freshman in 2013 and led the team in rushing last season.

Lynch was the Nittany Lions’ clear-cut No. 1 running back going into this year, but after two games, he has yet to prove he’s “the guy” in the backfield.

Passport to play

Lynch told his mother that he needed to go to the United States to earn a scholarship.

“I knew that finances weren’t one of our strong suits in our family,” Lynch said. “So I knew that if I wanted to go to college, it would be on my own ticket, it would be on my own shoulders so I made sure that the choice I made at 15, 16 was to help better my future.”

John said he’s seen Canadian football and basketball players feel they need to move to the U.S. to get exposure. Not all of them, John said, have had the same success as Lynch. He described it as “heartwrenching” when moving doesn’t work out for athletes.

“There’s a mythology out there, I think, that just by going south of the border, you’re all of the sudden going to be discovered,” John said. “And that’s not true.”

His message to them is simple: If you’re good enough, you will be found. John gave the same message to Lynch when he learned of his decision to leave St. Michael’s College School. John admits he tried to convince Lynch to stay, mentioning St. Michael’s players who went on to the NFL, including Mike Labinjo and O.J. Santiago.

John said Lynch was a good role model for the younger students and thought he would be a good ambassador for the school. He was popular with his peers and could often be seen smiling in the halls.

John also told him he supported his decision.

The running back originally planned to go to a school in Tennessee, but it didn’t pan out. Lynch then went to an open house for St. Francis (N.Y.) in Canada and felt it was his only option.

He decided to move to the United States.

St. Francis coach Jerry Smith applauds him for making the tough decision to leave home.

“Whenever I think of him,” Smith said, “I just think how wonderful it was that he had the courage — and I really mean the courage — to say I’m going to leave home at 16, 15 years old and live with a (host) family and go to this American school that I don’t know anybody.”

High expectations

On the first day of camp at St. Francis, Lynch laid out his goals.

He wanted to rush for 2,000 yards, score more than 20 touchdowns and average 8 yards per carry.

“I was dreaming big because that’s why I left Canada,” Lynch said. “I didn’t come here just to play football. I wanted to do something significant.”

His new teammates laughed.

“It’s not Canadian football no more, man,” Lynch said they told him. “You’re not going to do that here.”

Lynch printed his list of goals and kept it in his room.

By the team’s 15th day of practice, when St. Francis was part of a six-team scrimmage, it was clear that Lynch was the starting running back.

“He kind of reminded me of (Pro Football Hall of Famer) Eric Dickerson,” Smith said of the first time he saw Lynch. “He kind of runs a little upright — one little move and he’s gone. Eric Dickerson used to run like that. He’d run at you and make one little move, a little bob, little nod and a lot of other guys shake and bake and stuff. Akeel’s not a shake and bake, he’s a one move and gone type of guy.”

Lynch was humble and impressed with his work ethic, and his teammates were quick to follow his lead. He rushed for 828 yards and 10 touchdowns before his season ended early after rupturing a tendon in his finger.

Lynch was disappointed, but he was at every practice and every game, helping coach the running backs. And when he returned to the field his senior year, he achieved the lofty goals he set for himself his first day at St. Francis. Lynch rushed for a school-record 2,131 yards and 25 touchdowns and was named the New York Gatorade Player of the Year.

During that season, Lynch’s teammates adopted his approach and attitude. Smith said 17 of the 21 players who graduated from that team went on to play college football.

“I believe it’s directly reflected because of him,” Smith said.

Lynch said he threw his list of goals away during the spring of his senior year.

He was headed to Penn State and had new goals.

Subhead

Lynch came into this season as Penn State’s top running back.

After finishing with a team-high 678 yards last year, he appeared ready to power the Nittany Lion rushing attack. Lynch rushed for 78 yards on 10 carries, highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown run, in the season-opening loss to Temple.

Penn State coach James Franklin didn’t see enough, though, to say Lynch owned the starting job.

“He’s going to continue to have opportunities in practice and the game to show us that he’s the guy,” Franklin said in the week leading up to the game against Buffalo. “Right now he’s listed at the top of the depth chart, and I think from an experience and from a mental standpoint he’s ahead of the rest of the guys.

“I would love for him to take control of that job and say, ‘I’m the guy’ and be a difference maker for us. He’s shown flashes.”

Lynch failed to take control of the job against Buffalo, rushing for 46 yards on 19 carries — an average of 2.4 yards per carry. Instead, true freshman Saquon Barkley stole the show with 115 yards rushing and a touchdown on 12 carries in Penn State’s win.

After the game, Lynch smiled as he answered question after question about Barkley.

He said he has to look at how he can improve, but as long as the team’s winning games, he can’t be upset.

“Definitely, you got to give Saquon the ball more,” Lynch said. “He showed it, and I’m proud of him.”

But Franklin said Lynch will still have a significant role.

Said Franklin: “I think Akeel has got a chance to be a special back.”

This story was originally published September 19, 2015 at 3:17 AM with the headline "Canada-born Lynch always had RB success in his sights."