Adesoji and Modinat Adedire came to America wanting to give their children the opportunity at a better life. The life of a high-profile football player might not have been what they had in mind originally, but that's how it's unfolded for Joseph Adedire.

The 6-foot-3, 270-pound defensive end from Mansfield Summit was a consensus top-100 recruit in the state of Texas last year with a tall stack of scholarship offers. He signed with Texas Tech and has been a top backup on the defensive line since the beginning of this, his true freshman, season.

"I feel like it's truly a blessing," Adedire said this week. "My parents being immigrants, being able to come to college free, it took a lot of stress off of them.

"And just being here specifically, my parents love Texas Tech. My mom loves Texas Tech. My little cousins, every time I go home, they're like, 'Red Raider! Red Raider!' They look up to me, so it's truly a blessing."

The Adedires are from Nigeria, the Yuroba ethnic group specifically. Joseph Adedire, whose last name is pronounced "Ah-DAY-duh-ray," said his parents moved to the U.S. a few years before he was born, so he's a first-generation America.

"They said they want us to have a better life," Adedire said. "They said that they want us to grow up where we have opportunities to grow and develop."

Though his mother still lives in the Metroplex, his father has returned to Nigeria and lives in Lagos, the second most populated city in Africa. They talk by phone every few days.

There's more and more to talk about. Since the summer, Joey McGuire has raved about Adedire, more so than any other member of the team's freshman class. The Tech coach called Adedire "mature beyond his years" and said he is "going to be really special."

Adedire's been in the defensive line rotation from the beginning and made one of his biggest plays in the Red Raiders' last game, the 41-31 loss at Oklahoma State.

Near the end of third quarter, in a 31-31 game, the Cowboys had third-and-goal from the Tech 2-yard line. As Spencer Sanders kept on a quarterback run to the left, Adedire shot through and tackled him for a 5-yard loss, making the Cowboys settle for a field goal.

The Red Raiders expect to see many more such plays in the future from Adedire, the top backup at field-side defensive end to edge rusher Tyree Wilson. Like many freshmen, he's learning how much intensity the college game demands.

"When you get on the field, it's about executing and playing hard," he said. "I'd say playing hard is the biggest difference. In high school, some practices — not me, though, but in some practices — you can get off just slacking a little bit. But every day here, you've got to go hard. You've got to practice as hard as you can. Practice how you play."

College football

Who: Texas Tech vs. West Virginia

When: 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: Jones AT&T Stadium

Records: West Virginia 3-3, 1-2 in the Big 12; Texas Tech 3-3, 1-2

Rankings (AP/coaches poll): Both teams are unranked.

TV: Fox Sports 1

Line: Tech by 6 1/2

Last game: West Virginia 43, Baylor 40; Oklahoma State 41, Texas Tech 31

Last meeting: Texas Tech 23, WVU 20 last year in Morgantown, West Virginia

Fast fact: Tech DT Jaylon Hutchings is set for his 40th career start, the most on the team. OG Weston Wright's next start will be his 37th.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech defensive end Joseph Adedire making presence felt early