This is an exerpt from a feature story in the November Issue of Hatters Extra Magazine. Pick up a copy free at any Stetson Athletics event in November and December to read the entire story.

Stetson junior defensive back Glenn Adesoji is no stranger to leaps of faith – his entire existence is based on leaps his parents made long before he was involved.

A native of Memphis, Tenn., Adesoji is the son of physicians – Dr. Remilekum and Gafar Adesoji. The two operate a medical practice together in Southhaven, Miss., just outside Memphis. His mom, Remi, is a pediatrician and his dad, Gafar, is a primary care physician with a specialty in internal medicine.

Both parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria, where they received medical degrees from the University of Ibadan in the southwestern part of the country near Lagos. They came to the U.S. in the 1990s and, while Gafar completed a residency at the Mount Sinai College of Medicine and Remi at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital in New York, the couple welcomed a son to the family.

After completing their residencies, the Adesoji family took another leap of faith, leaving the concrete jungle of New York for the Mississippi Delta.

Years later, it was that son, Glenn, who has carried on the family tradition by taking multiple leaps of faith, eventually leading to DeLand, Fla. The physical route from Memphis to DeLand, which opens along a more than 200-mile stretch through Mississippi known as Corridor X, is almost as much of a blind leap as Adesoji's decision to come to a school with no football tradition, no football facilities and, for him, no people with a background like his.

Hatters' head coach Roger Hughes credits defensive coordinator Brian Young for finding Adesoji, but could tell something wasn't right when he visited campus for the first time.

“When he came in on his visit he was a little unsure about Stetson,” Hughes said. “I'll never forget this conversation. When he came in, I could tell that he wasn't comfortable about something, there was just something in his body language. I was talking with his parents and everything was going pretty well, so I just asked him what was up.

“He said 'I really don't see many people here who look like me.' I told him that he was right and that he could go some place safe, or he could come here and help me change that. He took the road less traveled, so to speak, and has been really good helping us to recruit other players of color who are also great students. He has really made a huge difference in our program and has emerged as a leader in our secondary as well.”