Hope Adebayo left Simley High School in 2019, weighing 185 pounds and eager to assist in St. Thomas' transition from Division III to Division I football.

"I caught COVID coming in, of course," he said. "Then I lost about 10 pounds. So I was really about 175."

By the time he suited up for the Tommies, following that COVID year, Adebayo was a rock-solid 200 pounds and hard to bring down. And that has been a constant since 2021, as Adebayo enters his fourth season, part of a Tommies program that won seven games in its first D-I season and has not looked back.

Adebayo's choice has worked out well for him, as he plays football while pursuing a degree in computer science. He plans to join his sister, Faith, a nurse, as a college graduate. His younger brother, Love, attends a junior college in California.

Faith. Hope. Love. Their parents, Emmanuel and Olu, are devout Christians and relied on the Bible when it was time to name their children. They also were willing to do anything to ensure a fine quality of life for them, immigrating to St. Paul from Nigeria in 2006, when Hope was a toddler. He eventually picked up football and became a star for the Simley Spartans before buying into St. Thomas coach Glenn Caruso's promotion plan.

Adebayo rushed for 658 yards while scoring 12 touchdowns and was named the league's freshman of the year in 2021. He rushed for 490 yards in eight games as a sophomore, then 766 yards last season. He was second team all-conference last season and was named to the Pioneer League's honor roll.

Caruso uses multiple running backs during games, but Adebayo is the main ball carrier, rarely getting tackled for a loss while bowling over defenders.

"It's tough," said senior linebacker David Ayeni when asked about tackling Adebayo in practice. "He tries to make guys miss all the time. Him and I are roommates, so we will go over film together and talk football, and he let's me know things I can do better, and I'll do the same for him.

"He doesn't make it easy on us, which we love because, you know, it gets us better and gets us ready to play different backs throughout the season."

On Monday, Adebayo sat with Caruso, Ayeni, senior offensive lineman Alec Rasmussen and senior defensive lineman C.J. Warren, previewing a season in which they have been picked to finish second in the Pioneer League. The Tommies received one first-place vote while Drake, the pick to win the conference, received eight first-place votes.

The Tommies have gone 25-7 in their first three seasons in Division I. They are 21-3 in the Pioneer League. Yes, we know it's not the Big 18. But jumping two levels and winning right away as a low D-I program can't be taken lightly.

Caruso is in his 17th season as the Tommies head coach. Each class he's brought in was endearing to him for a variety or ways. The Tommies who started out in 2021 will not be forgotten because they were part of the first season in Division I. Adebayo has provided the ground attack.

"This class, when I think about it, it makes me tear up; this class is pretty special," Caruso said. "And some of those guys will play a fifth year — most of them won't because we played most of them right away in our first year.

"It's going to be sad when that day [they leave] comes. I need to stay mentally tough enough to stay in the present and enjoy this ride."

This group will stand out to Adebayo as well. Because he joined a bunch of D-III players who proved they could play D-I football.

"It definitely has been amazing," he said. "I believe, from talking with past Tommie alums, that nothing has really changed in the program, and Coach Caruso has done that diligently.

"And we have been able to go to the next level in D-I and achieve what we have achieved because of the things that have happened in the past."