Mt San Jacinto OL Vaughn Lesuma verbals to Washington State

Mt San Jacinto College Offensive Lineman Vaughn Lesuma has verballed to play football at Washington State. Lesuma was a First Team All Football Conference selection this season.

Lesuma coming for Apple Cup
dam Munsterteiger

When Vaughn Lesuma signs a letter of intent with a Division-1 football program, he will have taken a strange path. Lesuma went to high school in Fiji, where Rugby is played instead of football. He had never strapped on a helmet until his freshman year at Mt. San Jacinto College in California.

Lesuma has three more official visits lined up.

Standing a mammoth 6-foot-5, 345-pounds, Lesuma was more than ready for football physically. But the mental side of the game took some time for him to adjust to.

"When I first came in, they told us we are going to zone block here," Lesuma recalls. "I had no idea what a zone block was. I didn't even know how to count off the linebackers and the cornerbacks. The hardest thing was just learning the terminology of football. I started from literally nothing.

"I would go in the coaches' office every day that I could, on my own time to work with the coaches. I started from the beginning and because of that I developed a lot quicker. It turned out to be a worthwhile investment for me. It definitely paid off in the end."

Lesuma received his first written from Oregon State and he visited Corvallis back in October. Because he is a December graduate, Lesuma will be able to sign his letter of intent as early as December 20th.

While the Beavers made a strong impression on him, Lesuma plans to take at least three more trips.

"I leave this Friday to go to Washington State," he said. "Then the weekend after Thanksgiving, I go to New Mexico State (Dec. 1st) and then the following weekend I go to San Diego State (Dec. 8th).

"Those four schools have been the most interested in me. There are a few others that have called but those four really put the foot down and said they really wanted me to come out for a trip. Iowa State had offered me a full scholarship earlier but I haven't heard that much from them recently."

What are Lesuma's impressions of Washington State going into his trip to Pullman this weekend?

"I'm pretty excited about my trip to Washington State and I am very fortunate to visit there for the Apple Cup," he expressed. "That is going to be a great experience for me. I'm looking forward to getting answers to some of my questions. I want to see the atmosphere, the spirit of the program.

"A big factor for me is going to be finding the right fit, being comfortable. It's a small town out there (Pullman) and I like that. That is one of the things I want in the college I choose, I want the team to be very family oriented and I'd really like the whole community to be family oriented as well.

"I've heard from my coaches and friends that Washington State has excellent coaches. I've heard it's a great program and that's why I am really looking forward to seeing what they have to offer."

Vaughn's younger brother Reed Lesuma is a prospect you'll undoubtedly hear about next year. The 6-foot-4, 305-pound lineman played as a freshman at Mt. San Jacinto College this fall.