Ultra-athletic, hard-hitting defensive end has displayed great potential throughout his career but has been limited to just 12 games over the past two seasons due to injuries ... earned a spot in the starting lineup last season before missing the final four games due to a head injury ... chose to sit out of spring practice to attend to personal issues but enters fall camp listed as the top backup to All-America candidate Ronald Blair at one of the defensive end positions.

2014: Appeared in eight games and made the first seven starts of his career at defensive end ... despite missing a third of the season, tied for fifth on the team with 5.5 tackles for loss and tied for fourth on the squad with three quarterback hurries ... also finished with 20 total tackles, a sack, a pass breakup and a fumble recovery that he returned 20 yards for a touchdown ... opened the season with a three-tackle performance at Michigan, which included a tackle for loss ... entered the starting lineup the next week versus Campbell and started the next seven games ... had two quarterback hurries in starting debut against Campbell ... had three tackles apiece in losses to Georgia Southern and South Alabama ... put together his best performance of the season at Troy with four tackles (one for loss) and a 20-yard fumble return for a touchdown that gave the Mountaineers a 17-7 lead in what turned out to be a convincing 53-14 victory ... matched the previous week’s season high with four tackles and set a career high with two tackles for loss during snowy 44-0 shutout win over Georgia State ... sustained head injury during practice prior to UL Monroe contest and missed final four games of the season.

2013: Battled injuries throughout the campaign and appeared in only four games ... was impressive in his limited time on the field with 16 tackles (1.5 for loss) in four contests ... 12 of the 16 stops came in loss to run-happy Charleston Southern ... 12 tackles were the most by an Appalachian State defensive lineman since Lanston Tanyi had 13 against Western Carolina in 2009.

2012: Redshirted.

High School: An all-city honoree after recording 113 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks and one interception as a senior … excellent student-athlete was a top-50 semifinalist for the 2011 Rudy Award (and the only semifinalist from Georgia), given to the nation’s high-school football player that best embodies the characteristics of Rudy Ruettiger, the 1970s Notre Dame walk-on that inspired the 1990s movie Rudy ... coached by Jamie Fox.

Personal: Full name is Olawale Ayoyemi Dada ... born in Nigeria … moved to United States with his family at age 2 … began playing football as a sophomore in high school in an attempt to overcome cultural differences and fit in better with his peers … enjoys writing ... majoring in communication studies … member of Appalachian State athletics’ academic honor roll.