Transfer from Florida is back on track academically and is focused on filling a major need at wide receiver
By Jonathan Okanes
BERKELEY -- Cal wide receiver Nyan Boateng got a little emotional when he took the field for the first day of spring practice March 31. It hadn't been that long ago that Boateng wasn't sure he'd take any field ever again. The beginning of spring practice marked the beginning of a new life for Boateng, the embattled transfer from Florida who was suspended from the team in the fall. Boateng had to overcome legal trouble and an academic hole to get back in the good graces of Cal's program. Now, he's faced with the opportunity to resurrect a once-promising career that just recently was in critical condition. "I thought I was pretty much done here," Boateng said. "It seemed like I had a great uphill battle. It seemed like I was never going to be back playing football again."
Boateng arrived at Cal in time to take part in spring football last year. NCAA transfer rules dictated he had to sit out last season anyway, but he still could have practiced with the team had he not been suspended by coach Jeff Tedford. Boateng was far behind in academic units he needed to become eligible by this season -- he said some of his course work at Florida didn't transfer to Cal, and that he "didn't do too well" in the spring -- and he was facing charges of burglary, battery and criminal mischief in Florida after allegedly kicking in the door of a girlfriend.
"Coach Tedford was really upset and urged me to get my act together," Boateng said. "It was a very sad conversation when I went to talk to him. It was scary. I always had that doubt. What if they don't reinstate me? What am I going to do?" As it turns out, the suspension may have been what saved Boateng's career. Freed from the demands of practice, he was able to concentrate on his studies and he caught up on his units. Meanwhile, the charges against him were dropped. In the meantime, Boateng also was working out regularly at City College of San Francisco. He also spent some time with former Cal quarterback Steve Levy, who, like Boateng, is a native New Yorker. "He's a good kid. He came out here probably a little too confident," Levy said. "We'd go out to throw a couple days a week, but most of the time we'd just talk. I think he came here with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder. When he came here, it was a rude awakening. He's matured a lot. He's definitely turned over a new leaf. I'm proud of him."
Boateng wasn't on scholarship until this semester, so for a while he lived with former Cal wide receiver DeSean Jackson and current defensive back Gary Doxy. Jackson and Boateng, two of the top receivers coming out of high school in 2005, met at a prep all-star game. "DeSean was always there for me," Boateng said. "He provided for me. We even slept in the same bed sometimes. That's a brother. "At one point, I just cried and said that I was going to go back home and just forget everything. Gary and DeSean talked to me and told me not to give up on everything I've worked for." Boateng and Doxy agree that it was during that time they lived together that Boateng started taking a more positive approach. "He was ready to start packing his stuff up and go back to New York," Doxy said. "We sat him down and talked to him and let him know there was going to be ups and downs and smiles and frowns. We just wanted to be like a brother to him, welcome him with open arms and (let him) really feel comfortable around us."
The Bears really could use Boateng next season. Cal lost its top three receivers from last year and essentially is starting over at the position. Boateng's athletic ability is unquestioned -- he also was a star basketball player in high school, where he was a teammate of Minnesota Timberwolves guard Sebastian Telfair -- but he's starting out at the bottom of the team's depth chart. "He's a guy who has some ability but has to fit into the system, has to get used to the work ethic and what it takes to be consistent," Tedford said. "But he has ability. He has speed, he has size, he has good hands and is a good athlete. He has potential to be a contributor for us." Levy said the old Boateng may have had a problem being buried on the depth chart. But not now. "I'm in a hole," Boateng said. "I have to be patient. I can't worry about the depth chart or who's in front of me or anything like that. I just have to go out there with a great attitude and work on being a great football player. These guys have been here for a long time and have been busting their butts. I just have to go in there and work my way up. Eventually, the cream will rise to the top."
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