Punni’s football path guided by gratitude, faith, determination

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
on your own intelligence do not rely;
In all your ways be mindful of him,
and he will make straight your paths.

-Proverbs 3:5-6

Nyeoti Punni reads the same verse before every single game. Among the many pages of the Bible he carries with him, he always returns to those few short lines: A comfort, a trust and a reassurance that his journey has ultimately led to the right place. 

That place, right now: Entering the Holy Cross football team’s eighth game of the season, Punni stands as a critical part of the offense. He’s the squad’s second-leading rusher, a physical, intimidating 6-foot-1 back whose speed and vision can be lethal. In a close win over Richmond last Saturday, Punni’s touchdown was a difference-maker. 

Today, to the casual Holy Cross fan, Punni may simply come across as a solid football player in the midst of a breakout season. 

But Punni’s road is a bit more complicated than that. It’s a journey that has been interrupted by uncertainty, risk, doubt and adversity. And at the same time, it’s a journey that has been forged by gratitude, faith, family and hard work. 

Punni sat upstairs at Dinand Library, in a futile attempt to study for his finals, distracted by a mirage that had felt a little too realistic. 

When Punni arrived at Holy Cross in the fall of 2022, it was not as a member of the football team. He’d abandoned the sport following high school, and instead set his sights on collegiate track and field, while also prioritizing a strong academic program. He landed at Holy Cross, where he saw immediate success as one of the team’s top sprinters as just a freshman — he was the Crusaders’ top finisher in the 200 meters at the Patriot League Indoor Championships that winter. 

As the spring season continued, things began to feel off for Punni. He wasn’t hitting the times he wanted, and began to feel burnt out. As his freshman year reached its final weeks and outdoor championships came and went, he grew overwhelmed by the thought that, perhaps, the path he had chosen was the incorrect one. 

And as he sat among the stacks in Dinand — his mind racing even more rapidly than his final kick along the straightaway — he decided enough was enough. He set aside his notes, and called his older sister, Klaleh, who was then a sophomore at Yale. 

He confided in her: The night before, he’d had a dream. Not one of him standing atop a podium donning a gold medal. Instead, he was scrambling for yardage out on the gridiron — with the roar of thousands of cheering fans fueling him as he shed tackles and trudged ahead.

Realistically, Punni hadn’t strayed too far from football. Initially, Punni had hoped to walk on to the football team as a freshman and participate in both football and track, but it became clear early that that would not be a possibility. In an effort to remain close to the sport, he played in an intramural flag football league with his roommate. Football was in his head constantly, but that dream clarified what was in his heart.

As he paced back and forth, he told his sister: 

“I think I want to play football.”

He talked the decision through with Klaleh, who reminded him of the advice their father had always given them: to follow your heart, and to chase after your passion. 

“It's very bold to leave something that you're really good at,” Klaleh reflected, “just because you're more passionate about another thing, right? 

“But I just pointed him back to his heart.” 

Punni eventually talked through his decision with his track coaches, teammates, and friends back home, who offered their support as well. He was given the opportunity to walk onto the football team entering his sophomore year, and joined the team that July for workouts. 

But within his first few days in the summer program, his initial excitement about returning to football quickly shifted to doubt. He had traded in the comfort of a sport he knew he could easily succeed in, and in return, he found himself with no discernible role in the lineup, feeling well behind his classmates, burdened by the pressure of not knowing what was going to happen next.

“I would just walk around campus during the summer,” Punni said, “just thinking and thinking: 

Did I make the right decision? Am I doing the right thing?

 Just praying a lot — just trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

In the late 1990s, Margaret and Nyeoti Punni Sr. fled their native Liberia as political refugees. With the nation in the midst of a civil war that spanned multiple decades and took 250,000 lives, the couple decided that their best path forward to ensure their safety was to leave West Africa and begin a new life in the United States.

The two arrived in America with nothing more than the clothes on their backs, and a vision for a brighter future. They married in the United States and became citizens, and as their family grew in the coming years, their ambition remained steadfast.  

Dr. Punni, who had been a head surgeon at one of the top hospitals in Liberia, returned to medical school in the United States, specializing in podiatry. While he was in school, Margaret worked night shifts to help support the family, and she eventually returned to school, working her way up to earn a Master’s degree and become a mental health clinician. Their oldest son, Dawin, often helped look after his three younger siblings — sister Weati, in addition to Klaleh and Nyeoti Jr., who are separated by just a year in age. The family is tight-knit, supportive, reliant on each other through all obstacles. 

“Seeing that village it took to get me where I am,” Punni said, “It’s very humbling — knowing that my success is not just my own.”

Their parents taught the four children a number of lessons by example: to put your head down, work hard, be humble, and chase after your dreams. They emphasized academics as a priority, alongside faith and family. And all four have taken those lessons to heart, earning a number of accolades throughout high school and college. As Nyeoti Jr. chases his own success, Klaleh is working toward a law degree at Columbia University. 

“It's not like we sat down and told them: ‘Hey, you need to work hard, because life is not going to give it to you on a silver platter,’” Margaret said. “But I think that they saw from our examples when we moved to America — that in order for us to be able to make it here, we had to work very, very hard to be able to do it.”

Punni’s first introduction to sports — along with his older siblings — was soccer, his family’s favorite sport. He took a general liking to sports early, when he noticed that he had a natural speed and athleticism. 

And in the third grade, when his friends were playing football, he begged his mom to let him play. Despite some initial hesitation, his parents signed him up for the local Pee-Wee team, the Hamilton Knights. 

The field was near their home in Mays Landing, New Jersey, and after signing Nyeoti up, the family walked together to pick up his jersey and equipment. Nyeoti immediately placed the pads crookedly on his shoulders, wearing those pads — and an ear-to-ear grin — for the entire walk home. 

Nyeoti’s parents took turns taking him to practices, depending on their schedules, and it was evident to them early that football sparked something inside him. He emerged as one of the best players on the field, and promptly earned the nickname “Beast,” with a natural speed that left both teammates and opponents in the rear-view mirror. After the Punni family moved out of New Jersey and to Lebanon, New Hampshire — after Dr. Punni had taken a job in White River Junction, Vermont — Nyeoti was so beloved by his teammates in New Jersey that they held a farewell party for him and presented him with a jersey, which still hangs in his room to this day. 

But in New Hampshire, football still remained a constant for Nyeoti. Punni’s accomplishments and accolades throughout high school included school records in the 100m and 200m dash, 35 touchdowns and an All-State selection in football, and a state championship in basketball. And as his career progressed through middle school and high school, he maintained close friendships with his teammates, and no matter the challenges, outside noise or external circumstances, football — and sports in general — provided an opportunity for him to shine. 

“That brotherhood we had — it made football feel like a home, like a safe haven for me,” he said.

When Punni first joined the football team at Holy Cross, it was clear right away that it would be an uphill battle to garner playing time in a crowded running backs room, stacked with All-American and All-Conference talent. His reps over the next two seasons came on the scout team, with scattered playing time as a junior (primarily as a blocker — he had just one carry in five appearances).  

His mindset shifted considerably in that time — his focus became how he could help the team win. Even as a junior on the scout team, among far younger players, he continued to put in the work, helping with his teammates’ preparation and waiting for his time to come. Even though he could have continued his trajectory as a successful sprinter at Holy Cross, he continued to work, dreaming of his ultimate goal. 

And Punni’s father has always preached: When you are presented with that opportunity, you need to make the most of it, without any complaints or hanging your head. 

“He always had a high level of enthusiasm and push regardless,” Nyeoti Sr. said. “And I always told him: the day they give you that ball, you have to let them know that you are capable, and that the pressure should shift.”

“His dad always instilled into him: the only thing I expect you to do is, whenever they put you in the game, you have to play as though that's your last time playing,” Margaret reiterated. “So you have to show them who you are, and they will have no reason why they can't use you.”

Entering his senior year, Punni dug in even further, determined to see the field. He had a successful spring season, and continued to build strength in the summer. 

“This was probably the most I've worked in any offseason,” Punni said. “I took this summer pretty personally — just trying to work on the small things that I was getting coached up on during the season and during spring ball. My mindset was that I wasn't going to go down without a fight. It was my senior year, so I was just trying to make the most of my opportunity.

“I left track to play football, and I was determined to make a name for myself. So something I really put in my mind was that this was going to be the year that I put it all together.”

Punni earned a couple of carries early in the 2025 season, but still wasn’t seeing the production he had hoped for — but continued to put his head down, and keep getting better. 

“You could see day in and day out in the spring, he was earning confidence,” said Holy Cross running backs coach Westin Elliott. “And by the end of spring ball, he was very confident. Then we get into the season. He doesn't have as many carries as he hoped to have early in the year, so he's got to earn that confidence within himself again — but I think he did a great job of that. He has a quiet confidence about him. 

“His teammates believe in him, and know when he's out there, he's going to give 110 percent no matter what. And everybody respects him for that.”

As Punni continued to prove himself, he earned more reps, culminating in increased playing time over the last couple of weeks. And as his own game has progressed, ultimately, Punni’s goal is to help put his team in a position to win football games. He did just that with his touchdown on Saturday, when he punched a one-yard touchdown into the end zone to break a deadlock in the second quarter. 

He was immediately swarmed by his teammates. Meanwhile, his family — his ultimate support network — watched from the Northeast, squealing with joy and rewinding his touchdown over and over on the ESPN+ broadcast.

In Richmond, after a jubilant celebration, Punni retreated to the visitors’ bench, and threw his arm around his position coach — overwhelmed with emotion. 

“I love you, Coach,” he said to Elliott. “Thank you for believing in me.”

Remember that dream Punni had a few years ago? That one where he was playing in a football game, despite thinking he had already taken his football pads off for good?  

The opponent in that game that he dreamt of? Harvard. 

Just three weeks ago, Punni stood on Fitton Field, that vision transforming into reality during his senior season: He totaled six carries against the Crimson, and more than doubled his career best for rushing yards, with 73 by the end of the game. His highlight reel was punctuated by an explosive 49-yard run. 

It was the culmination of all that had led to that point: the trust, belief and hard work. His path had been made straight. 

As Punni continues along the path of his football journey, he embraces his favorite aspect of the sport, which is the chance to get better at something every day. But he doesn’t overlook what led him to this point: His tenacity, his gratitude, and his family, his teammates and his coaches for believing in him. 

When Punni rereads Proverbs 3:5-6 before games, he always listens to music — sometimes rap, sometimes gospel. He often also turns to Stevie Wonder, his dad’s favorite artist whom he and his family listened to constantly during extended road trips. As the long hours passed, the parents and siblings connected through his harmonies, bonding through the joy and hope of his music. 

“That just brings me peace,” Punni said, “and it reminds me of home.”

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