Being in a coma for nearly three days as a 9-year-old and waking up with no remnants of brain injury after slamming the back of his head onto a concrete skateboard ramp was not enough to make Miami defensive end Mitchell Agude realize he is “blessed.”
Going to Nigeria in 2019 did that.
“After 2019 my whole life changed,’’ Agude, 23, a UCLA transfer and first-generation Nigerian-American who arrived in Miami this past winter from his home in Corona, California, told the Miami Herald earlier this month. “Before, when I would go to Nigeria when I was little, I didn’t see the difference between there and where I was. But when I went there in 2019 it really hit me how blessed I am even to be alive, to be in America — the opportunities I have.’’
Agude’s mom, Grace, knew as such after that day in the skate park when Mitchell was in second grade.
The mother of children ages 32, 31, 28, 27 and of the 6-5, 255-pound “baby’’ Mitchell, Grace, a native Nigerian along with Mitchell’s father Sunday, said “faith’’ and “the miracle of life” healed her son so beautifully after doctors told them he had a traumatic brain injury.
“I can tell you the reason Mitchell is well today is because we refused to accept what the medical people were saying,’’ Grace Agude, a nurse and clinical supervisor for Kaiser, said by phone Wednesday. “They said he would never amount to anything. They said he would be a vegetable for life.”
Agude, part of a five-person contingent of transfers from various schools who have, according to Miami coaches and players, helped transform the formerly meager defensive line into the strength of the defense, has raved about Miami since he enrolled in the graduate program for summer session A.
‘One message’
“Just the passion everyone brings,’’ the sixth-year redshirt senior said of the difference between the UCLA and Miami culture. “We all have one message that the staff brings, and it’s about work. If our strength staff says something it’s from the head coach. If the head coach says something then the interns are saying the exact same thing. Everyone is on one accord. We’re all one mind.
“I transferred because I wanted to put myself and the team in the best situation. I just didn’t feel that at UCLA they really cared about my success.”
Added Agude: “We have so much depth.’’
Agude, who earned his UCLA degree in African-American studies, said he doesn’t have many memories of the skateboard accident.
“The story is I got invited to a skate park by my friend. I didn’t really know how to ride a skateboard. I remember going to the park, having my skateboard and looking at the ramp. The last thing I saw was the ramp. I don’t remember going down. I think what happened is I tried to go down like the turn pipe, the dip, or whatever, and that’s when I hit my head. I wasn’t wearing a helmet — so wear your helmet please.
“After that I don’t remember waking up. My parents kept praying and my whole family was there. A couple hours later I started getting movement. They did all the tests and I had no hemorrhaging anymore in my head, no blood in my head.”
Agude said the “next thing’’ he knew was “everything was normal.’’
Swollen brain
Grace Agude said her son’s brain had been horribly swollen yet “when they went to do the MRI they couldn’t find anything and still can’t figure out what happened.’’
Mitchell continued: “My parents kept me sheltered for the next three years. I couldn’t play football. I couldn’t play sports at all. I was sneaking outside trying to play sports with my neighbors. Finally, because my brother was playing football in high school, my mother allowed me to play peewee football at age 13.’’
And Mom is still grateful.
“UCLA missed a chance to have a future hall of famer in their school,’’ she said. “Mitchell is resilient and he’s about to show Miami a different style of determination.” Grace said she and Sunday, a chemical engineer, will be attending all the home games.
“I’m so excited about Miami.’’
Agude spent the past two seasons with UCLA, where he was a second-team All-Pac 12 selection in 2021. He had 54 tackles, 6 ½ tackles for loss, two sacks and forced four fumbles last season. He started 10 of 12 games, including the game at Southern Cal, when he had a career-high 10 tackles. In the shortened 2020 season, he started five of seven games and led the team with nine tackles for loss and added three forced fumbles.
Before that, he was a three-star junior college recruit who played his first two seasons at Riverside Community College.
Agude said he’s now taking his life “one step at a time.’’ “If there’s an opportunity on the table I’m going to grab it,’’ he said. “The difference here is everyone has the same message. Coach Cristobal, whenever he speaks you can feel it in his voice, you can feel his love for the game. It’s been fun here, because everything we do is about the work; Everything we do if for one purpose: to win games.’’
