MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - Any rookie in any NFL training would tell you that their dream has always been to play on the next level. For one player who is hoping to make the cut with the Miami Dolphins, joining the team holds a deeper meaning.
Linebacker Mitchell Agude is grateful to have a shot of playing in the NFL. For Agude, it’s more of miracle that he has this opportunity.
“It’s a blessing to be alive in the first place, you know, because previously, as you know, I was in coma when I was nine,” Agude said.
Due to a skateboarding accident, Agude suffered from a head injury, which left him in a coma for three days. When he woke up from his coma, he was left with no memory of what had happened.
Thankfully, doctors found no signs of a brain injury.
“Remember going to the park and then coming back from the hospital,” Agude said. “It was kind of like that, but obviously, my parents had a different vision, different viewpoint of it, and now I see the ramifications like how serious that point was in my life.”
Agude is an undrafted free agent that the Dolphins brought in.
“I got a great group of guys around me, I got a great coaching staff, I feel blessed to be here,” Agude said. “The guys are bringing me in, so I’m just appreciative of every single day I’m here.”
The former Miami Hurricanes linebacker was UM’s fifth leading tackler with four sacks last season.
Agude knows that he has to stand out even more on this level for a shot at making the Dolphins roster.
“Football is 90% mental, if your mind’s not right then you’re not going to be the best version of yourself, so I think everything here is just making sure your routine’s good, making sure that you’re one step ahead,” Agude said.
Agude, a first-generation Nigerian-American, has a great outlook on life, which he hopes will help him fulfill his dream.
“I went to Nigeria to see my family,” Agude said. “Having to take a shower, you can’t just go across the hall, just to go to the bathroom and open the faucet and water comes out. You got to go down to the lake, bring some water, heat it up and then take a shower. Just things like that, like how blessed we are, and we don’t really realize the opportunities that we have here. That changed my viewpoint and everything, so anything that I have in front of me, I’m going to get. I’m doing to my full, best level that I can, so I think that’s what helped me get to where I am right now.”
Agude told 7News that when he was at UM, he was helped by Dolphins Hall of Famer, defensive ends coach Jason Taylor, who helped instill a drive in him.
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