Defensive back Charles Akinyemi (shown with linebackers coach Darrell Patterson) has been looking forward to his first SMU game for more than a year (photo by SMU Athletic Dept).

Charles Akinyemi does not fit the mold of the prototypical cornerback. The junior transfer from the Air Force Academy is listed at 5-foot-8, and whether that height is accurate is up for debate.

Recruiting of wide receivers has changed in recent years, as coaches have sought out players who not only can run and make plays, but also have size. Since the emergence of professional wideouts like Randy Moss and Terrell Owens, and college stars like Charles Rogers (at Michigan State), Mike Williams (USC) and Roy Williams (Texas), coaches everywhere are looking for huge, athletic receivers. This trend has sparked a movement by coaches to counter the opposition's big aerial targets by putting out big cornerbacks who can cover them and fight off their physical moves at the line of scrimmage.

Coupled with returning starter Rolando Humphrey, who towers over Akinyemi at 5-foot-9, the Ponies feature a pair of corners who must rely on superior speed and athleticism to compensate for their lack of height. Like Humphrey, Akinyemi is fast, but he's also extremely strong, finishing fourth among the team's Strength Index leaders (a combination of lifts that measures a player's overall strength and fitness).

"He's only 5'7" or 5'8", but that guy is unbelievably strong," SMU wide receiver Matt Rushbrook said. "He just hits so hard."

That power is one of the first things that caught the attention of SMU coaches when Akinyemi decided to transfer from Air Force.

"We saw the film of their Notre Dame game," SMU defensive coordinator/secondary coach Jim Gush said. "It was obvious from the beginning that Charles can really run, and he's strong – really strong."

Akinyemi took advantage of the rule that allows Air Force cadets to leave after their second year because he saw a long delay before he could begin his professional life. In addition to the military commitment for which he would have been responsible had he stayed, he also wants to go to either dental school or medical school after graduation.

"I was looking at 12-14 years," Akinyemi said. "You get a great education there, great experience, great discipline. And I've been in military school since I was 12. It's a great place. I miss it every now and then, and I miss the coaches and players there, the friendships that I made. But I'm blessed that the coaching staff here was willing to take me on."

Leaving the Air Force Academy, Akinyemi said, was difficult.

"I talked with (Air Force head) Coach (Fisher) DeBerry," the Houston native said. "I'd played a lot as a sophomore, got a lot of game time. It was tough, but Coach DeBerry understands. He knows that it's just not for everyone.

"I thought about a bunch of schools: Duke, Wake Forest, Northwestern – that was my top choice originally – Rice and TCU. My sister Susan was a freshman at SMU last year, and I came up to visit last summer. I spoke to the coaching staff, and I liked what was presented. They told me that if I work hard, the possibilities are endless. They didn't promise me a thing, but I'm not afraid to work."

Once he enrolled at SMU last year, Akinyemi had to wait. For a whole year, he and fellow transfer Foy Munlin were allowed to practice with their new team, but they were unable to take part in games, watching their new team skid through an 0-12 campaign.

Charles Akinyemi is the strongest of the SMU cornerbacks (photo by SMU Athletic Dept).

"It was humbling," Akinyemi said. "We watched the games from the sideline, and I saw Foy's eyes burning – we wanted so bad to get on the field. I felt the same way he did – we wanted to get in there and help the team win. I think that made us practice harder. Full-speed is the only way I know how to play. It's the only way I played at Air Force, and before that, in high school. I guess I have to since I've always been .... 'vertically challenged.' "

After playing against him for a year (while Akinyemi sat out the 2003 season per NCAA transfer rules), Rushbrook said that while Akinyemi's physical strength is exceptional, it's his mental approach that makes him effective.

"He plays with great technique," Rushbrook said. "When you're not that tall, you have to have great technique to make sure you're in position to make plays, to make sure you have your feet under you if the receiver cuts or jumps for the ball. Charles does that – he's always in the right position, and he runs and jumps as well as anyone."

But, Rushbrook admitted, Akinyemi's physical strength also allows him to shut down receivers before they can get open.

"He's also real aggressive," Rushbrook said. "When he gets his hands on you, you can't run your route."

"I've always played that way," Akinyemi said. "I was a linebacker in Pop Warner, and I pride myself on that. When I hit a guy, I want him to cringe the next time he comes my way. I just love to hit.

"I've always faced bigger receivers. When you're my size, you have to be more physical, to let them know they're not going to push you around."

For all of his power, Akinyemi knows that preparation is vital to on-field success.

"It starts with coaching and learning the defense, making sure you're in the right position to make the play," he said. "You have to watch film and know what the offense wants to do, and look for flaws in their technique."

Akinyemi said that despite their diminutive stature, he thinks he and Humphrey will make an effective tandem and will help the Ponies generate more turnovers, either through direct takeaways or by forcing opponents to make mistakes.

"With Ro on the other side, we're going to get to the ball. 'Get picks and lay licks' – that's kind of the theme for the defense this year. I learn a lot from Ro, and if we play like we know we can, the possibilities are endless."

Gush said he hopes Akinyemi and Humphrey (also a junior in 2004) will share the experience and enthusiasm they bring with the team's other young cornerbacks.

"You look at the other corners we have: Ervin McGee (5-foot-8), Anthony Barnett (5-10) .... they're not real big guys, either," Gush said. "But if they watch Charles and Ro and learn from them, we're going to have a group of young, really fast corners who can really cover."

"Yeah, we have some guys who aren't that big back there," Akinyemi said. "But it's really about position and technique. We have a lot of outstanding leapers in the secondary. If we put in the work, we'll hold up our end of the bargain."