Antoni commits to Tennessee

From the basketball courts to the college gridiron, the CNMI’s Antoni Kade Ogumoro ended his junior year of high school with a bang as he announced his commitment to the University of Tennessee on social media in an widely anticipated livestream watched by hundreds of people last Wednesday.

The 6’5” and 320-lb son of the Pacific decided to ride on his recently found football talents and accepted a full-ride scholarship to Knoxville and become a part of the Tennessee Volunteers football program (variously called Tennessee, Volunteers, Vols, UT, and Big Orange)

He became UT’s 10th commitment for the 2025 class and is currently ranked as the No. 492 overall prospect and No. 30 interior offensive lineman in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports Composite.

The university gave their offer last November—one amongst about 15 colleges/universities nationwide. UT hosted him for the first time on the university’s Junior Day last February, and he returned for an official visit last May 3.

Ogumoro is graduating high school early this December in Elgin High School, Oklahoma, and is suiting up in orange and ready to take on the college gridiron in Spring 2025. With his early graduation, he said he learned that coaches like when a recruit enrolls early before spring season so they can get some practices in and pretty much just get the process started.

“It’s an advantage because I basically get a big head start. When I learned this, I started taking steps to ensure I could graduate early if I chose. I took some college courses, AP classes and summer classes as well to get ahead of the game,” he said.

The son of former CNMI national basketball team member Ambrose Ogumoro and his wife, former CNMI national volleyball team member, Mayumi Aguon, Antoni decided to take up a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Science after he had a “great athletic trainer [Marissa Underwood] in high school and watching her work sparked my interest in the field.”

The decision-making process for a university was marked by a lot of praying and talks with his parents and grandparents as well. Antoni said, “In the end, I chose the best school that not only fit me but fit my family.”

For Antoni, the most important factor in deciding was to make sure they offered the course that he wanted to pursue. Secondly, he said, “football is a very physical and demanding sport and I need a school that prioritizes recovery, rehab, and therapy with a strong medical support staff.”

He said that his campus visit played a huge role in his decision and it was clear not only for himself but his family as well that Tennessee went through great lengths to take care of them.

“They did so much for my little brother [Troy Isaias] who has autism and can sometimes get overwhelmed and overstimulated when taken out of his routine. They had a sensory room made up for him that he loved and didn’t want to leave. They had three autism professionals on hand to help us with my brother and this was the first visit where both my parents could do the tours together because there were people they could trust to be with Troy and they texted my parents giving them updates on his well-being. Coach [Josh] Heupel opened his home to us and hosted us for dinner. We got to meet his wife and they welcomed Troy and said he could swim in their pool,” said Antoni.

On Tennessee’s coaching staff, Antoni said they are “great! They started recruiting me in November of last year and as the months went by, my relationship with [head] coach Heupel, [offensive line] coach [Glen] Elarbee, and [offensive line graduate assistant coach] K.P. just got stronger. I respect these men and I know my future is in great hands under their guidance.”

His goals for his college football career both on and off the field is first, to graduate and then possibly pursue a master’s degree. Second, “in terms of football, I just want to improve everyday in this sport. I am very new to this game and everyday is a learning experience for me. I aim to be the best player I can be and God willing, with the right training and guidance I pray I make it to the next level,” said the future UT Vol.

His advice to young aspiring athletes? “Honor your mother and father and show them respect always. I was taught this from a young age to respect my parents and my elders…”

Next, he said, “Focus on school and strive to get good grades… and be coachable and humble.”

He then thanked “VolNation for embracing me and my family! I’m excited to wear that orange and get on the field and put in some work!”

“Thank you to my parents and brother who have been with me in this process every step of the way. Without them I’d be nothing. Thank you to my coaches for believing in me and taking time out of their day to train me and mold me into a great athlete. Thank you to my family and friends who are always there supporting me through it all and always giving me that extra push when I need it.”

Ambrose, for his part said, “Honestly, it’s been a journey with his transition from basketball to football and excelling at this sport. Just feel blessed as a family that we’re in this position and just extremely happy for Antoni’s success not only to represent our family, but Micronesia as a whole on this level.”

“As for Antoni’s decision, my wife Mayumi and I would sit down with him after every visit to a school and go over the pros and cons and what stood out. Then he would keep a journal and write down his thoughts [at] that moment. Overall, it played a big role on how he was able to process and select a school that had a great education and great football program as well as the overall fit into the culture of that particular school, from players, to coaches, to the staff.”

Antoni is flying home on May 25 to be a part of the CNMI Men’s National Basketball Team in the Micronesian Games. “Basketball was my first sport and I still play it even though football is my main sport now,” he said.

Antoni’s grandparents are Ambrosio Ogumoro and Felicidad Kaipat Ogumoro of Capitol Hill and Rufino and Carol Aguon of Kagman. Rufino Aguon incidentally is Ambrose Ogumoro’s former coach in the CNMI national basketball team. He will also be Antoni’s coach in the Micro Games this summer in Majuro.