Eli Acker Chasing Father's Dream, Using Football to Conquer Tragedy
To anyone that thinks they've had a tough three months, think again.
Eli Acker, a three-star offensive tackle who's part of Ole Miss' 2020 recruiting class, not only missed his high school graduation and the normalcy of a final year of high school. He also lost his father this March.
John Acker, a 1990 graduate of Oxford High School and lifelong Ole Miss fan, died of a heart attack behind the wheel on Tuesday, March 31. Leaving behind Eli and two daughters, Acker was only 48-years-old.
Amid coronavirus precautions, the Acker's didn't get a normal funeral. They didn't get a normal visitation or a normal time to meet and grieve with family. In replacement, the Acker's held a 'drive-by' visitation. Over 100 cars passed by their home to pay respects to John Acker, a 25-year veteran of the State Farm insurance game and active member of the Columbus, Miss. President's Club and Chairman’s Council.
"It changes your perspective on life. This life is short. You have to count all your days blessings. It's a big motivation thing for me, football," Eli Acker said. "My dad wanted it more than I did, honestly. So it's big motivation for me now. I'll wake up every morning now and I have a 'why.'"
Eli Acker didn't need any extra motivation, but he now has it anyway.
The offseason hasn't been normal for anyone. For Acker, everything is amplified again. Besides grieving his father and adjusting to a new normal, Eli Acker is sort of the 'man of the house' now. He has one twin sister, who's already at Ole Miss, and another older sister who just graduated from Ole Miss.
From a football perspective, Acker isn't exactly where the Rebel coaching staff wants him quite yet. The 6-foot-6, 18-year-old needs to put on a little weight. He's listed at 280 pounds on the Ole Miss football roster, but says the staff needs him to get up to the 305 to 310-pound range before he'll play regularly. For that reason, he says, he's likely to redshirt in 2020. For now, the team does plan to keep him at tackle.
Unlike others, the lack of normal training conditions has not really impacted Acker too much. He still has access to his high school gym, under conditions that no more than five kids are in the facilities at a time. He has a personal trainer and has been going through a normal running and lifting program, trying to stay in good shape while putting on that needed weight.
This daily regimen is what keeps him going through a tough time.
"Football is just my baseline now. I've always leaned on football just with everything in my life," Acker said. "It's been a lot of what I had and what I leaned on in my life, now even more so."
John Acker grew up an Ole Miss fan, but he never went to Ole Miss. Instead, he played football at Mississippi College. Now, all three of his children will get that Ole Miss experience.
Eli was one of the first commitments from the Ole Miss class of 2020, the incoming freshman class. A three-star recruit, Acker committed to Ole Miss and former head coach Matt Luke on May 5, 2018, over two years ago.
He never decommitted when Luke was fired and Lane Kiffin brought in to re-tool the Rebel program, but he admitted to a bit of wavering. Acker took an official visit to Mississippi State in December before meeting again with the new Ole Miss staff.
"I grew up a big Ole Miss fan. It was always where I wanted to be," Acker said. "I was kind of iffy right after the staff change, just because I really liked the other staff. I got to know the new staff and I've really liked those guys, so I stuck with it."
Ultimately, even with a new staff, Acker couldn't imagine himself not in Oxford back in December when he signed his letter of intent. Now five months later, he's preparing to show up in Oxford with a little bit more motivation.
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