Daiki Yoshikawa chases his dream
Daiki Yoshikawa has chased his dream all over the world.
He moved from Japan to the United States as a child and began playing football in junior high school. Yoshikawa returned to Japan as a sophomore, but continued playing the game he had fallen in love with.
Now as his senior year approaches, Yoshikawa continues to stand out in Japan with the hopes of returning to the US for a college football career.
“I believe that I can be the first Japanese player in the NFL,” Yoshikawa said. “I am working hard to prepare for that career.”
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One of the most famous Super Bowls of all time ignited Yoshikawa’s love for football.
In the U.S. after moving due to his father’s job, Yoshikawa watched Super Bowl LI between the New England Patriots and the Atlanta Falcons. He sat glued to the screen with the rest of the world as Tom Brady led the Patriots to the biggest comeback win in Super Bowl history.
That day triggered something in Yoshikawa’s brain. He knew that he one day wanted to be on football’s biggest stage.
“Every player doing different moves and as one,” Yoshikawa said. “That made me play football.”
Yoshikawa’s career began as a running back at McMeans Junior High School in Houston. He said that in his first game, he scored all four of the Bobcats’ touchdowns.
“That convinced me that football was right for me,” Yoshikawa said.
His career then went north as the family moved to Chicago. Yoshikawa joined the team at Fremd High School and also played youth football for the Palatine Panthers.
In the fall of 2020, Yoshikawa and his family moved back to Japan. He joined the squad at Kosei High School in Tokyo, which according to Yoshikawa is “the strongest team of Japanese high schools.”
Yoshikawa has taken on a leadership role with the game in Japan. He’s shared the fundamentals of the game with one of his cousins. His football IQ gained from playing in America has also helped him achieve the role of vice captain for Kosei.
“I think it is necessary to increase the number of football players and teams in Japan,” Yoshikawa said. “I believe that success in the U.S. can support those.”
At Kosei, Yoshikawa has added linebacker and defensive back to his running back duties. He’s also an accomplished return man - his favorite football memory is an 85-yard return for a touchdown in the 2021 Christmas Bowl, Japan’s national high school championship. Yoshikawa earned All-Japan honors for his play during the 2021 season.
Now Yoshikawa wants to take his football career to the next level. He hopes to return to the United States and play college football as either a linebacker or defensive back.
That task will be a difficult one. But Yoshikawa believes he can do it. He knows the American approach to football, and he’s familiar with the language and culture in the country.
Yoshikawa hopes to achieve his goal both for his own dreams and for those of future Japanese players.
“To go to a foreign country is difficult with the language side and culture side,” Yoshikawa said. “But I want to play football at as high of a level as I can and overcome many obstacles that might help future Japanese students to try for going to American college.”