There really is no place like home.

Stampeders 2017 third-round selection Tunde Adeleke spent most of his life in Ottawa, from graduating high school from St. Francis Xavier to attending Carleton University. Now he heads back to Ottawa as a professional football player.

“It’s exciting in general just to be on the active roster and being able to play in the first game of the season is exciting,” Adeleke said. “The icing on the cake is that it’s in Ottawa. It’s going to be exciting to go back and play on a field that I’ve played on multiple times but at the same time I just have to go out there and drown out the outside noise and do my job.”

After earning a spot on the Stamps active roster, Adeleke has been relishing all the experiences being a part of a CFL team has to offer, all while working to further develop his game.

His play during training camp left an impression on the coaching staff and management. But the 21-year-old knows that the work is just getting started.

“I was happy to make the team but that’s not where my goal ends,” Adeleke said. “I’m trying to make more happen and help the team out as much as possible. I really want to do as much as I can.”

Over the course of four seasons from 2013-2016, Adeleke had quite the career with the Ravens, earning first-team university Ontario University Association and all-Canadian honours as a returner in 2015 and 2016. He was a second-team OUA all-star at defensive back in 2014 and 2016. Statistically, he averaged 16.0 yards on 122 punt returns and 26.2 yards on 44 kickoff returns. Defensively, he recorded 127 total tackles including four tackles for loss, four interceptions and seven pass breakups.

And, although he is no longer in university, Adeleke is still a student of the game.

“The first day I got here, one of the things that I knew was going to help me make the team and be someone on the team was knowing the playbook,” Adeleke said. “First day I got the playbook, I read through it and made sure that I understood everything. When the coaches were teaching us the concepts of it, I was familiar with what they were saying.”

Just two days away from the season kickoff, there are no nerves for Adeleke but there is a sense of awe for the rookie..

“It’s crazy to think that I am a pro now,” he said. “I won’t be going back to university so that’s pretty crazy but I take it one day at a time.”