Finding Himself Through Leadership

Josh Emmanuel started his college football career at a challenging time.

Like so many in the fall of 2020, he was trying to find normalcy in the midst of uncertainty as the COVID-19 pandemic affected college campuses through social distancing and closures.

He had his twin brother, John, alongside him as a teammate and classmate at Texas State. But the two were not only navigating being first-year college students together, but they were still working through personal pain and adversity.

And despite the circumstances, Emmanuel is now a leader on the national stage and serving on some of the most important committees at the NCAA level.

By simply showing up, Emmanuel’s leadership has shown itself. And his path forward in life after football has changed dramatically.

Emmanuel graduated from Bishop Dunne Catholic School, which is near the heart of Dallas in the Oak Cliff area. Bishop Dunne is a small private school and his graduating class was nearly half the size of the current Texas State football roster.

In his junior season, he was a key member of Bishop Dunne’s state championship-winning season in 2018. He committed to Texas State in between his junior and senior seasons in the summer of 2019.

In May 2019, though – three days before Mother’s Day and weeks before verbally committing to be a Bobcat – Emmanuel’s mother, Judith, suddenly and tragically passed away. 

Emmanuel and his brother played in honor of their mother that senior season in the fall of 2019, and in December, the two officially signed their National Letter of Intent with Texas State. They chose the school because it gave them both the same opportunities as scholarship players.

While the world was shifting all around him, Emmanuel made the trek down south and enrolled at Texas State at the start of fall camp in August 2020. He went from the “big person on campus” to another member on a big team. He had the football part taken care of in terms of meeting people. He was surrounded by 100 of his peers in the sport he loves. But it was the “off the field” social component that was still missing.

Emmanuel decided the only way he was going to meet people in the world of distance was to get involved with things on campus. His first stop was the Texas State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, commonly known across college athletics as “SAAC.” This group is charged with having a voice on college campuses to represent all student-athletes.

“I didn’t really know anyone, and I got started with SAAC by just showing up to meetings,” said Emmanuel. “Sherm (James Sherman, Assistant AD, Texas State Director of Football Operations) really introduced me to that. And when I started showing up to meetings, they really liked me as a person. They thought I could lead and then it just carried on from there. They nominated me to be a part of so many things. I’m so involved because it started with me trying to find people to be around.”

Emmanuel’s role has evolved from an active member on the Texas State campus to representing the Sun Belt Conference at the NCAA Division I SAAC and serving on the NCAA Football Oversight Committee. He is one of only two student-athletes on the Oversight Committee, a group that includes athletic directors, coaches and other administrators. His voice is representing the more than 20,000 active Division I football players.

“I remember being around him when he first stepped on campus, and he was eager to take advantage of the opportunities that being a student-athlete afforded him,” said Sherman. “From various student led organizations and community service projects, I knew Josh had a heart for making the college experience better for everyone that he was around. He was a perfect fit for a growing SAAC group here at Texas State that, under the right guidance, you could see he could make major waves in our community.”

This year, Emmanuel’s role with Texas State SAAC will swell to serving as president. This adds on to his other roles of involvement, which include:

• Sun Belt SAAC
• NCAA Division I SAAC – Sun Belt Conference representative
• NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee – Student-athlete representative
• Texas State’s Black Student-Athlete Alliance – President in 2023-24 and co-founder alongside Lauryn Thompson of women’s basketball
• Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. – Chapter historian, social media director, event planner

Each SAAC group meets twice a month while the Oversight Committee folds into that. He will also have regular meetings for the BSAA and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. 

“It’s a lot of meetings,” said Emmanuel, “but we find a way to make it work and manage our time. That’s a big thing that this has all helped me, by organizing myself and managing my time. To set up my schedule to be able to attend these meetings, and if I can’t, then communicate that to the group. The in-person ones, though, are fun because we get to travel.”

With DI SAAC and the Football Oversight Committee, a lot of the discussion centers on legislation to improve the student-athlete experience. Topics such as the transfer portal, NIL, and mental health have been the most talked about as of late, but as one of the athletes with a voice representing so many, he is helping shape the lives of his teammates, opponents and anybody else in between.

At the Sun Belt level, he helps the conference-wide SAAC establish initiatives and goals for community service and civic engagement. He also reports to the conference what is being done at the NCAA level.

And those are the roles away from the field. He’s one of the 35 returning letterwinners on this year’s football team, meaning he has a leadership role to play in the locker room since he is entering his fourth season as a Bobcat.

The leadership role is something he saw in his teammates when he first arrived on a campus. And with a team of 70+ newcomers on this year’s roster, it is the returners like Emmanuel who will be leaned on.

“When I got here at Texas State, some of my first teammates really got me involved with some of this stuff,” said Emmanuel. “Gavin Graham, London Harris, Sione Tupou, Binky (Markeveon Coleman) – a lot of the old heads when I came in, they gave me that perspective of what I wanted to be and that impact I wanted to leave.”

Emmanuel also learned his service mindset from his parents. His mom was a nurse while his dad, Iwekhao, helps out any way he can through his creative side, such as being the DJ at Emmanuel’s high school football games. The two led a household that included the twins Josh and John, another set of twins taken in through guardianship, a brother, and a sister.

“My parents are always in the community, being nice and caring for people,” said Emmanuel. “My mom loved taking care of other people before herself. I got that feel from her. I like doing stuff for people and making sure people are okay. Part of them is in me by just wanting to be involved, be around and be a part of the community.”

Emmanuel’s growth from August 2020 to now is apparent. It is through his leadership opportunities that he has grown as an individual and found out who he can be.

“When I first met Josh, he was a little timid and nervous,” said Tori Clark, Texas State’s Director of Student-Athlete Development and liaison for SAAC. “But now, he's confident and always pushes past his comfort zone. If there is a need for a volunteer, Josh is the one who steps up to the plate.”

Emmanuel, a linebacker and special teams contributor, has played in 19 games during the first three years of his career, including six during his true freshman season in 2020. He is on track to graduate in December 2024, which leaves him two seasons left of eligibility as a Bobcat before the next stage of his life begins.

The psychology major – thanks to his experiences through the different levels of SAAC – is considering a career in college athletics and continue being the voice for student-athletes.

Emmanuel’s leadership ability also continues to show itself in the different settings. For Clark, his selflessness is a key quality.

“Josh is one who always puts the good of the group before himself,” said Clark. “He creates space for others to have a voice and platforms for perspectives to be shared.”

Emmanuel’s servant leadership mentality is also seen throughout the South End Zone Complex on a daily basis.

“Biggest development I have seen in Josh comes from his willingness to talk, communicate and listen to those who have been there before him,” added Sherman. “Josh is a courageous young man that continues to push everyone around him to be the best versions of themselves. He truly embodies what it means to be a leader, and our campus is better for having him serve on SAAC at all levels.”

For Josh, when he looks at how he has grown, his perspective on being a student-athlete has evolved. He understands his roles of a leader are not to be taken lightly

“At first, I didn’t care that much about things,” said Emmanuel. “I looked at is I was here at college and focusing on football. As the years have gone by, I have become more aware of things that student-athletes should be aware of. I’ve always thought of myself as a leader, but when I go to these conferences, I see what it means to be a leader. It’s made me a better person overall.

“I constantly remind myself I’m in a position to lead and it’s an opportunity to share things with athletes that they don’t know. It’s an opportunity. Opportunities are great, but you can’t take any opportunity for granted. That’s why I get so involved because you never know what an opportunity can do for you.”