Prince Amukamara of the Jacksonville Jaguars is a good cornerback, but an even better person. He signed with the Jags last offseason after starting his career with the New York Giants. He helped stabilized the secondary, brought championship experience, and a calming presence to a very young core. Going back to his days at Nebraska, Amukamara has never been one to get rattled easily. This characteristic can be attributed to the veterans that helped cultivate his game to go along with his unwavering faith.
Of course, the former Cornhusker was disappointed with how the season turned out as the Jags finished with just three wins. There is always some glimmer of hope in every situation and Amukamara found that as he talked about the season.
“We [the defense] were ranked 30th last year and then went up to 6th. I feel like next year we can continue to build on that,” said the optimistic corner.
The final score of Jacksonville’s games could be a bit misleading, but their performance on the gridiron says otherwise. This is a good group with seasoned veterans peppered with young guys. Jalen Ramsey, Yannick Ngakoue, Myles Jack, Telvin Smith, and Dante Fowler Jr. will grow together and help usher in a new era of Jags football. They finished sixth in total yards allowed and frustrated quarterbacks as they ranked fifth in passing yards allowed.
Amukamara’s job is to help nourish them and spread the wisdom he absorbed from players like Aaron Ross, Terrell Thomas, Corey Webster, and Antrel Rolle.
“I would say those four guys groomed me and really showed me how a pro should act, eat, train, and play,” said Amukamara.
Football is merely a blip on the radar for Prince as his philanthropic work means the most to him. He credited players like Vernon Davis, Justin Tuck, and Osi Umenyiora for using the NFL’s shield to their advantage when they orchestrated off the field events. The Jags corner talked about one of the things he likes to do in his time away from the game of football.
“I like to give to mission trips so they can go and spread the word overseas,” stated an insightful Amukamara. That was just the tip of the iceberg.
Amukamara’s belief in God extends well beyond the football field. Spreading the word is big to him, but he wants to help make a difference in the lives of the youth. First off, he genuinely loves kids and enjoys building connections with them. He and his wife are in the early stages of creating a scholarship to help students go through college.
Amukamara wants kids to go to school, but maximize their time there. Networking and being cost efficient are two things he thinks they should focus on. He is hoping to encourage kids to find themselves before college because college is a bit overpriced. In other words, the more time they spend trying to figure out what they want to do the more expensive school becomes. Make no mistake; Amukamara is not trying to disparage the idea of higher education. He just wants to make a difference.
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