'Lil' Dave' Davison Igbinosun eagerly awaits his promotion to 'Big Dave' at Ohio State
Davison Igbinosun played in all 13 games and started 10 as a freshman at Mississippi. During that span, he recorded 37 total tackles and five pass break-ups
But he still decided to transfer after the 2022 season.
The move appears to be paying off. With five games remaining in the regular season, Igbinosun is Ohio State's third-leading tackler behind Tommy Eichenberg (54) and Steele Chambers (42), and the sophomore has three pass breakups and a fumble recovery to go along with his 33 stops.
Read on to learn more about Igbinosun.
Get to know Ohio State football cornerback Davison Igbinosun
If you were asked to contribute something to a time capsule that was going to be dug up in 100 years, what would you add?
Oh, that's a good question. I'm not sure. Let me think. Probably put my Bible in there. I'm trying to think. What would be valuable in a time capsule?
Cell phone? Those things look old after two weeks anymore. Imagine in 100 years.
That's true. That's a good point. Then probably some of my clothes, my nice clothes.
I wanted to ask you about that. Who has a better look: you or Marvin Harrison?
Oh, I can't compete with Marvin Harrison.
But it's got to be close, because I've seen your Instagram and you're very fashionable.
Appreciate it.
So is fashion important to you?
Definitely. I think that's very important. I just like to look nice. All the time. That's all.
And I notice that in a lot of your Instagram photos there are really cool murals in the background. Are you an art fan?
I am. I haven't always been an art fan, like as kid. But as I have gotten older, I've come to appreciate it more, just the beauty in it. Just taking the time out of my day to admire it.
What about other forms of art? Music? Movies?
Oh, yeah. I like music. I like old movies, like those old 80s movies...
Watch it.
Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.
The 80s are not old, but that's OK.
I like "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." "The Breakfast Club," also a good one. Those are my movies.
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Davison is technically your middle name, correct?
Yes, it is.
And your first name?
Aimuamwosa. It means 'You can't argue with God.' It's a Nigerian name.
Do you also have a nickname?
Yeah. They call me I.G.B here. Everyone calls me I.G.B.
Do you like that?
At first I didn't, but it grew on me. Started to grow on me.
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So if you could pick your nickname, what would it be?
Lil' Dave. I like Lil' Dave. They call me that sometimes too.
Who's Big Dave?
There's no Big Dave. I'm just young. So it's Lil' Dave. Probably like next year or my senior year, I'll be Big Dave.
Are you looking forward to the promotion?
Yup.
I understand you were a psychology major at Mississippi. Are you still?
Yes, ma'am.
What about that appeals to you?
My mom is a psychiatric nurse aide, so the mind has always intrigued me since I was little.
What is the greatest lesson you've learned from your mom?
Just being patient with people. Just probably her patience is the biggest thing that I've learned. Like it's hard to rattle my mom.
It sounds like you've tried.
I have. Of course, I have. Of course, I've tried.
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What's your favorite memory involving you and mom?
Just making her proud. Like, seeing her smile, seeing her happy, proud of me is my best memory of my mom.
How often does she tell you she's proud of you?
She actually tells me that a lot, a lot more than I want to hear because sometimes I'm not where I want to be, so I'm still grinding. But she tells me she's proud of me a lot.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever gotten from your mom?
Best piece of advice. Oh, so much. I don't know if it's her best piece of advice, but what I've learned from my mom is if you want anything you have to work hard for it.
Do you have any brothers or sisters?
I do, actually. I have five siblings. I have three brothers and two sisters.
Are their names as cool as yours?
They are. They are. So my oldest sister Aisosa. OK, then my older brother's name is Osarodion. Ehimwenma, that's my sister. And then Osagioduwa is my brother and Uyiosa is my other brother.
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(Davison calls his sister Ehimwenma, who goes by JoAnne, and she is put on speaker.)
Hi, JoAnne. Is there something I need to ask Lil' Dave here? Is there something I should ask him about?
OK, you can ask him about him leading a protest at his school, what that was about, in high school.
JoAnne, I'm making you a Dispatch correspondent.
I appreciate that! Thank you. Have a good one.
(JoAnne hangs up.)
She seems awesome.
She is.
So apparently you led a protest at school?
I did.
What was the protest about?
My senior year of high school, we were in the state playoff. We were like the No. 1 team in the state. State semifinal playoff game, it was at home. It got forfeited by our superintendent because two kids had COVID, so he jumped the gun and forfeited the game the day before the game. Rallied all the boys, called the news stations, we protested outside the board of education. It got a huge following.
Did you end up playing?
We didn't.
Did you get in trouble?
No. ... I talked to the right people. I got in contact with the right people, so the teachers were (behind) us.
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Beyond an aspiring NFL career, what do you want to do ...
I want to be a sports psychologist. ...
...long term
... I just want to help kids who are going through it, and if things aren't going their way, I want them to know they have the proper resources.
You're clearly passionate about it. I imagine that mental health has been stressed a lot to you.
I think it's a big deal because people don't talk about mental health enough in college football. I feel like mental health is a big aspect in college football because if things aren't going well on the football field, it can force you into a depression. So, I feel that (coach Ryan Day) being open about it is good.
What's the difference between New Jersey and Columbus?
If I'm being honest, I couldn't tell you. I like Columbus because it reminds me of New Jersey. It reminds me of home a lot. I wouldn't say the landscape, but the architecture. The buildings are the same, same kind of streets, same kind of style.
For someone your age, what's the historical event you will always remember where you were when it happened?
That's a good question. Probably COVID, when everything shut down. I'll always remember where I was.
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Where were you?
I was on a school bus.
They told you while you were on the bus?
They sent us home because COVID was starting to go crazy. And I was sick. I probably had COVID. But I was on the school bus, and they said they were going to cancel school for two weeks, and then we just never went back to school. So I would say the biggest moment is COVID.
And what's your favorite kind of weather?
I like the fall. I like October. Like, I like a cool breeze. This is my favorite time of year. It's football weather.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Get to know Ohio State football cornerback Davison Igbinosun