On Friday, Olaus Alinen chose the Alabama Crimson Tide as his university among the top teams.
22.7.•Updated 22.7.
– This is the hardest thing that has ever happened in Finnish Yankee football.
That’s how NFL commentator and American football multitasker Mika Laurila describes Friday’s news from Pori Olaus Alisen about choosing a university. The 18-year-old super prospect chose the Alabama Crimson Tide.
– There aren’t too many players who get to choose between the top schools themselves, the head coach of the Finnish national team Mikko Koikkalainen accompany.
To explain how big the move is, Laurila compares the University of Alabama team to a big club familiar from football.
– This is the Real Madrid of the university world, which Olaus has chosen. The whole process leading up to this underscores that. It didn’t happen today that Olaus Alinen was offered a contract or that Alinen would have gotten into this school. Today, Alinen had a choice, and she decided to choose this top university team.
Several American universities were after Alise for a long time. He received no fewer than 46 scholarship offers. On the day of publication, the universities of Ohio, Oregon, Georgia and Miami were also participating. On Thursday, the offensive lineman ended up on the Alabama bench.
– This has been a big process for Olaus. He thought very carefully, traveled a huge amount in the Yankees, got to know university programs, where he should go. Where he gets the best coaching and gets to show against good players.
Alabama produces NFL players
The University of Alabama team plays in the high-level NCAA college series in the United States. The traditionally successful team has won the university league championship most recently in the 2020 season and before that in 2017.
– A star factory that wins championships and also produces a large number of players for the NFL every year, Laurila describes Alise’s future team.
– For the past 10 years, Alabama has been the best team in the series, which is always in the top bracket. It is where the most players go to the NFL. Linemen in the offensive line of Alisen’s playing position have been booked with the top reservation every year, says Koikkalainen.
Alabama’s ability to develop players and the culture of success convinced Alise, who plays for Loomis Chaffee’s team in the high school league in Connecticut, USA.
The family knows what success requires
Olaus Alinen, who started American football at Pori Bears, is a second-generation Yankee football player. Father Klaus Alinen41, was By Michael Quarshie as well as the first Finn to sign an official player contract with the NFL football league in 2006. The road to the Atlanta Falcons’ final NFL team never opened, but the older Alinen still got to experience professional league action as a Finnish pioneer of the sport.
– The family has information about where we are going and what kind of world we are going to, says Laurila.
Alinen played the season 2020 in Vaahteraliiga in the ranks of Wasa Royals and achieved SM bronze. In the spring of 2021, he moved to the United States to play in the high school league in Connecticut.
Alinen, who weighs 150 kilograms and is almost two meters tall, is an excellent offensive lineman for his dimensions. However, Porilainen does not rely on his physique alone.
– Even if we are talking about a big player, in the offensive line it is not about just rolling here. The technical and strategic side and tactical understanding of the sport is good, Laurila says.
According to Koikkailainen, Alisa also has good strength levels and moves well for her size.
Hard work ahead
Alinen will still play in the high school league until next spring. Koikkalainen estimates that the goal of the Finnish promise is to become a player in the starting line-up in the university league. However, there probably won’t be much playing time in the first few years.
– Now that he is moving there directly from high school, there are tough senior year classes ahead of him. If he was in his third year playing, that would be a great performance.
According to Laurila, what is exceptional about Alise is that she is a promising European player.
– He has made an effort from Vaahteraliiga to high school. He is currently considered number one in Europe when transitioning from high school to university.
In America, players moving from high school leagues to university are evaluated on a five-point scale. Olaus is the second highest four-level player.
– Only very few child stars get the fifth level classification. It is already known about them at that stage that if they don’t do well in college, they will go to the NFL in the first draft rounds, Laurila opens.
He estimates that Olaus would currently be drafted into the NFL in the third or fourth round of the draft.
– These will change many more times and especially now that he gets to Alabama.
Alisa has a lot of hard work ahead of her.
– Now we have to fight even harder to establish a place and get into the playing lineup, says Koikkalainen.
– Naturally, the competition within the school is also great. Nobody has a guaranteed place to play in a school like this, Laurila adds.