Churchill Football Player Reaps the Benefits of Hard Work

Even during Karou Diakite’s sophomore season at Winston Churchill High School, Bulldogs head coach Joe Allen could recognize Diakite’s immense potential. As Allen put it, “You don’t see many kids with that kind of size and athleticism at the high school level.”

The one thing missing from Diakite’s game at that point, however, was the necessary dedication to fully take advantage of his rare physical skill-set. So, when Diakite approached Allen during that season, asking him what he had to do to mold himself into a player capable of one day playing at the collegiate level, the head coach was completely honest.

“I was blunt with him,” Allen said. “I told him, ‘Before you can even think about playing at the college level, there are a lot of things that you need to improve at the high school level.’”

Aside from just his dedication, Allen told Diakite he also needed to improve his strength, conditioning, technique and overall fundamentals.

Allen made sure to tell Diakite that, if he improved in all of those areas, he was fully capable of one day playing college football.

So Diakite got to work, taking that conversation to heart and fully committing himself to working on his game. And now, two years later, a vastly improved Diakite enters his senior season at Churchill as both a key two-way player for the Bulldogs, starting at both offensive tackle as well as defensive tackle, and a legitimate NCAA Division 1-A talent.

Since that conversation two years ago, “Karou’s done everything he could possibly do to get himself better,” Allen said, adding that he’s seen Diakite improve immensely in every area he had pointed out.

“That talk [with Coach Allen] really changed my mindset,” Diakite said. “Before my sophomore season, I wasn’t really a hard worker at all. But after that talk, I realized what I could become if I put in the work.”

Diakite, who says he rarely stepped in the weight room prior to his sophomore season, now refers to himself as a “weight room junkie.” He works out six days per week, for usually around two hours per session, striving to improve everything from his strength to his speed and conditioning.

“The weight room’s helped me tremendously,” Diakite said.

According to Diakite, he can now bench press more than 300 pounds, compared to just 155 pounds as a sophomore, and can also squat 440 pounds and hang clean 250 pounds. His conditioning and endurance have improved significantly as well. Most importantly, he has seen it all carry over to the football field.

“It’s definitely helped with football and has changed my game,” said the 6-foot-4, 290 pound Diakite, who has put on more than 20 pounds of muscle since his sophomore season.

Aside from just the strength and conditioning, Allen has seen Diakite improve as a football player as well, most notably in his technique and knowledge of the game.

And with Churchill hoping to compete for a Class 4A state championship this year, Allen is depending on Diakite to have a big senior season.

“He’s going to play a big role in our success this season,” Allen said. “He’s a force for us on both sides of the football and is also a team leader.

“We’re going to need that leadership. I expect him to have a big year.”

Still, Allen says Diakite has a ton of untapped potential and will only continue to get better, not only this season, but for whichever team he ends up with at the college level.

So far, Diakite has received one scholarship offer – from Towson University – and has garnered interest from numerous high level NCAA Division 1-A football programs, including Michigan State, Boston College and Cincinnati.

“The sky’s the limit for this kid,” Allen said. “He can certainly play at the Division 1 level. And with the coaching you get up there, and with his work ethic, he may even be able to make it to the NFL.”

“I’m just very proud of him as both a person and as a player,” Allen added. “It’s good to see that someone’s willing to not only challenge themselves, but it’s great to see them reap the benefits as well. It’s a true testament to Karou’s work ethic. He’s just a great kid and I wish nothing but the best for him.”