IRVING – Akin Ayodele is no stranger to Texas Stadium. While growing up, he served as an usher at the stadium and was lucky enough to score some gloves from Cowboys players when he was a ball boy.
"It was definitely a way to make extra change," said Ayodele, who played at Irving MacArthur High School. "I got some gloves from Emmitt, Michael and Deion and went back to school the next day and made some money. That was the cool thing about it."
On Monday, Ayodele (pronounced ay-DELL) decided to make Texas Stadium his professional home again, signing a five-year, $17 million deal that includes a $5 million bonus.
"My mom is excited," Ayodele said of Jessica Ojoma, who lives in Grand Prairie. "She's like a little kid right now."
Ayodele became the first Jaguars player to record four straight 100-tackle seasons. A third-round pick in 2002, he made the transition from defensive end at Purdue to outside linebacker in the NFL.
Last season, he had 100 tackles and a team-high four forced fumbles. He ended Seattle's comeback hopes in the season opener with a sack and forced fumble of Matt Hasselbeck, and he recovered a Carson Palmer fumble to seal a Jaguars win.
While he was credited with 489 tackles by the coaches in his four years, those numbers came in the Jaguars' 4-3 scheme at outside linebacker. With the Cowboys, he is expected to play inside linebacker next to Bradie James in the 3-4, replacing retired Dat Nguyen.
He also could line up at strong-side outside linebacker, where Al Singleton and Scott Fujita split the starting job a year ago. Fujita signed with New Orleans on Monday, and Singleton is coming off a shoulder injury.
"It's going to be different," said Ayodele, who has 8 ½ career sacks and one touchdown. "I've never done it before, but when I came out of college a lot of people thought I'd be drafted to a 3-4 defense. I've played in variations of it while in Jacksonville, but not with a true 3-4 look to it. I have a lot of studying to do."
Former Cowboys head coach Dave Campo, now Jacksonville's assistant head coach/secondary, saw Ayodele up close last year.
"He's a pretty physical player and a guy who doesn't make a lot of mistakes," Campo said. "He has some pass-rush ability. He's obviously coachable to be able to make the transition from the 4-3 defensive end to linebacker."
Ayodele met with Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones and coach Bill Parcells on Saturday and put off potential trips to New Orleans and Tennessee, so his agent, Mike Sullivan, could focus talks on the Cowboys.
"I told my agent that if I was going to leave Jacksonville, it would definitely have to be somewhere I can see myself living and on a team that I see as a few players away from being a dominating team," Ayodele said. "It had to be an organization that I believed was serious about winning and would do what it took to win a Super Bowl."
E-mail tarcher@dallasnews.com
Position: Linebacker
Ht., Wt.: 6-2, 246
Age: 26
College: Purdue
Experience: 5th year,
Pro highlights: Played in 64 games for Jacksonville, starting 46 at outside linebacker. ... Led the team with four forced fumbled in 2005. ... Started every game in 2004, finishing with 131 tackles. ... Played in 16 games as a rookie.
Notable: Played at Irving MacArthur High School, where he was a first-team All District pick as a senior after posting 35 tackles and five sacks. Also caught eight passes for 242 yards as a tight end. ... Attended Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College before transferring to Purdue, where he started for three years at defensive end. ... Graduated with a double major in sports psychology and law and society. ... He was Jacksonville's nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2003.
