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Rumorboard's latest: Uona Kaveinga to transfer to Y from USC

by byutx · 12/20/2009

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bigbluepuma
This looks like great news to me, but I don't know that it really makes sense to ascribe too much meaning to it. Players transfer all the time for all kinds of reasons. This may have some impact for certain players, but will probably not turn the tide of all LDS athletes to now be turning down Pac-10 schools for BYU. We can always hope, though!



GO COUGS!!!
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bluebrotha
bigbluepuma wrote:
This looks like great news to me, but I don't know that it really makes sense to ascribe too much meaning to it. Players transfer all the time for all kinds of reasons. This may have some impact for certain players, but will probably not turn the tide of all LDS athletes to now be turning down Pac-10 schools for BYU. We can always hope, though!



GO COUGS!!!


hey, guys like Manti Teo and others may not be happy with where they're at. Transferring to BYU is made easier when they see other big guns make the leap.
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stuckinbig10country
Schmoe wrote:
I'm surprised by this. I would have thought that Bronco wouldn't pick up someone that turned down the Y originally. But, I guess there is something to everyone getting a 2nd chance.



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I don't know why you would hold that against a kid. When I was seventeen I did all sorts of dumb stuff and went to the wrong school (for me) initially. And, though it's not a good vs evil choice, Bronco accepting him now is reflective of repentance and the values that we strive to instill in young people at BYU and in The Church. Kid realizes he made a mistake and decides to correct it instead of just "going with the flow?" That shows a lot of maturity and thought.


Oh, I'm glad if we get him. It just seems like coach previously has said that if they don't choose to be here, they are no longer welcome.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">
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bigbluepuma
bluebrotha wrote:
This looks like great news to me, but I don't know that it really makes sense to ascribe too much meaning to it. Players transfer all the time for all kinds of reasons. This may have some impact for certain players, but will probably not turn the tide of all LDS athletes to now be turning down Pac-10 schools for BYU. We can always hope, though!



GO COUGS!!!


hey, guys like Manti Teo and others may not be happy with where they're at. Transferring to BYU is made easier when they see other big guns make the leap.




Gotta go with you there. Whenever something good happens, there is some residual effect. I just don't want to make the mistake of thinking that this will magically change everything.
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Ddawg
If true - if there is an ounce of truth & Kaveinga is testing the waters & considering pulling the trigger on this deal. Let me encourage him w/ all my mental powers!!!!!!! I'm sending positive vibes to Kaveinga!!!!! Do it brutha!!!!!



What a coup if true.
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Wickchad
Was he a freshman or a sophomore this year? What are the chances he goes on a mission and then transfers?
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cougdoc
Forgive my ignorance. I don't follow recruiting very much, so this guy's name didn't ring a bell. I checked the official USC FB website and two things jumped out at me. First, unless I am reading the site wrong, Kaveinga played in eight games this year and made a total of two tackles. Second, he was all-everything in high school. His list of all-star selections was impressive. Two possible conclusions occur to me: one, while he was a high-school stud, his skills don't translate to high-level D-1 competition; or two, the guy(s) in front of him on the depth chart are/were awesome, and he just hasn't had his chance yet. Those of you who follow USC football closer than I do, which is it?
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Mars


http://media.scout.com/Media/Image/56/566297.jpg" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">



**** Uona Kaveinga

Pos: WLB Pos Rank: #9

Ht: 6-1 Wt: 225 40: 4.76

Position: MLB

Year: Class of 2008

High School: Leuzinger HS (Lawndale, CA)



http://byu.scout.com/a.z?s=338&p=8&c=1&nid=2957536



"Kaveinga is an inside guy that gets to the football. He's a vicious and big time hitter that shows no mercy. He is terrific when the play comes his way because he can shed and make the tackle. When it pursuit, Kaveinga goes head hunting. Not only can he move sideline to sideline but when he gets there he looks to take someone’s head off. Kaveinga is strong, aggressive and relentless. He plays well in coverage and shows good vision."



"Was named Bay League Defensive Player of the Year as a junior and earned second-team all-state underclass in 2006. Was an all-CIF selection and finished the year with 111 tackles, 16 quarterback hurries, nine sacks, five deflections, five fumble recoveries and four forced fumbles."



Offered by: USC, Arizona, BYU, Colorado, Georgia Tech, Oklahoma, UCLA.



Kaveinga was complimentary of the Cougars for entirely different reasons: “I really like what BYU has to offer. It’s the only college program in the world that offers [LDS Church] members high morals, honor code, academics and football. I also like the people and surroundings there; you can feel the spirit way more.” He added: “[BYU head coach] Bronco Mendenhall has all my respect. He’s really down to earth and expects a lot from you as a football player and priesthood holder. I appreciate what they offer, especially what Coach Mendenhall has done the last couple of years.”



...Kaveinga made no secret that virtually all his immediate family – “both my parents, my brothers and sisters, especially my two sisters” – want him to select his LDS religion’s flagship university in Provo, Utah. “If [my parents] had to make the choice, I know it would be BYU. That’s my parents’ number-one school,” he said. Kaveinga’s father, Taumoelau, an immigrant from Tonga who raised eight children in California with his wife, told TBS that their family had their weekly Family Home Evening Monday night expecting Uona to announce his college choice. He didn’t. “He keeps everything quiet. I don’t understand him. I explain to him that BYU is the best place to go. He knows that BYU is the best for him. We [shall] see what’s his decision and we support him. If he goes to BYU, perfect. If he goes to USC, then we still support him. Right now, USC is the one [pushing] very hard,” the Kaveinga patriarch confided. His mother, Velonika, conscious of the pressure her son was under from coaches and family, offered her succinct comments: “He’s 18 now [Uona turned 18 last Saturday]. We all want him to go to BYU, but I bother him too much and I have to leave him to make his decision.” Both father and son confirm Uona has firm plans to serve a two-year LDS mission after playing one year of college, adding than USC coach Pete Carroll reassured them he will support their wishes and hold Uona’s scholarship for when he returns from a church mission. ...Taumoelau’s personal impressions of Mendenhall were also revealing: “No one compares to Coach Mendenhall. He’s very spiritual. He’s a very, very good coach. Every time I see him, I’m always happy and glad for the opportunity to meet with him,” he continued. “As a member [of the LDS Church], we can feel the spirit with him and talk about things we don’t talk with other people. He’s the best. He’s doing the right thing and a good job,” the father added – referring to Mendenhall’s unyielding focus on higher academics from all his players, living the school’s stringent Honor Code, and renewed excellence on the football field. “Everything is in BYU – spiritual, athletics and education.”



http://byu.scout.com/2/726789.html



Kaveinga not only plays on both sides of the ball, he plays wherever he’s needed. “When we played Norco, I played center,” Kaveinga said. “I’m the long-snapper and our center got injured that week. We snap the ball out of the shotgun, so I volunteered to be the center. But on offense, I really do play fullback, running back and tight end. This year I think I’ll play some running back and some slot receiver.” http://usc.scout.com/2/634703.html
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urroner
stuckinbig10country wrote:



Oh, I'm glad if we get him. It just seems like coach previously has said that if they don't choose to be here, they are no longer welcome.


Choosing can involve "repentance" or "changing the mind. If somebody chooses not to be on the Y team, they shouldn't be welcome, but, if down the road, the person then chooses to be on the team and can in some way, make the team better, then he'll be welcome.



I don't ever recall hearing Bronco say "If you choose not to be here the first time you're offered, you are no longer welcome."
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frdbtr
stuckinbig10country wrote:
stuckinbig10country wrote:
I'm surprised by this. I would have thought that Bronco wouldn't pick up someone that turned down the Y originally. But, I guess there is something to everyone getting a 2nd chance.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">


I don't know why you would hold that against a kid. When I was seventeen I did all sorts of dumb stuff and went to the wrong school (for me) initially. And, though it's not a good vs evil choice, Bronco accepting him now is reflective of repentance and the values that we strive to instill in young people at BYU and in The Church. Kid realizes he made a mistake and decides to correct it instead of just "going with the flow?" That shows a lot of maturity and thought.


Oh, I'm glad if we get him. It just seems like coach previously has said that if they don't choose to be here, they are no longer welcome.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">


Bronco has never said that kids are not welcome at BYU if we recruit them and they choose to go somewhere else. What he has said is they want kids who want to be at BYU(If they choose a different school he moves on and coaches the kids he gets). There is a difference. If this kid now wants to be at BYU then he is welcome at BYU.
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Ddawg
Schmoe wrote:
I'm surprised by this. I would have thought that Bronco wouldn't pick up someone that turned down the Y originally. But, I guess there is something to everyone getting a 2nd chance.



[ Post made via Mobile Device ] http://cougarcorner.com/images/mobile.png" alt="" loading="lazy" style="max-width:100%">


I don't know why you would hold that against a kid. When I was seventeen I did all sorts of dumb stuff and went to the wrong school (for me) initially. And, though it's not a good vs evil choice, Bronco accepting him now is reflective of repentance and the values that we strive to instill in young people at BYU and in The Church. Kid realizes he made a mistake and decides to correct it instead of just "going with the flow?" That shows a lot of maturity and thought.




Ditto!!!
M
Mars
frdbtr wrote:
Bronco has never said that kids are not welcome at BYU if we recruit them and they choose to go somewhere else. What he has said is they want kids who want to be at BYU (If they choose a different school he moves on and coaches the kids he gets). There is a difference. If this kid now wants to be at BYU then he is welcome at BYU.

He DID basically tell Bourbon to pound sand when the kid committed elsewhere and then wanted to open his recruitment back up to BYU...
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fbguru
mars wrote:
He DID basically tell Bourbon to pound sand when the kid committed elsewhere and then wanted to open his recruitment back up to BYU...


I think that had to do with Drew Phillips committing shortly afterward and Q's increased interest (which both might have been influenced by Bourbon committing elsewhere), but we won't have any proof on that. Don't think it was because Bronco felt spurned by Bourbon.
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scott715
The RB schollies are all gone. That is why he told Borbon no.
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Florwood
With the new Riley Nelson rule, a player changing schools off a mission sits and year and loses a year of eligibility. Would Kavienga be subject to this, or since it's pre-mission would only involve sitting a year?
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ABYUFAN
scott715 wrote:
The RB schollies are all gone. That is why he told Borbon no.


That's also why he told me "no" as well (at least that's my "official" story ;) )
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frdbtr
Mars wrote:
Bronco has never said that kids are not welcome at BYU if we recruit them and they choose to go somewhere else. What he has said is they want kids who want to be at BYU (If they choose a different school he moves on and coaches the kids he gets). There is a difference. If this kid now wants to be at BYU then he is welcome at BYU.

He DID basically tell Bourbon to pound sand when the kid committed elsewhere and then wanted to open his recruitment back up to BYU...


Entirely different circumstance. Bourbon was offered a Schollie and turned it down. His offer was given to someone else and is no longer available to him. Has nothing to do with a kid that goes to a school and then decides he wants to transfer to a different school. I would be willing to be that if Bourbon walked on to BYU and made the team, he would be given a Scholorship when one was available for him, and he would not be turned down the opportunity to attend the school.
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BroncoBot
frdbtr wrote:
frdbtr wrote:
Bronco has never said that kids are not welcome at BYU if we recruit them and they choose to go somewhere else. What he has said is they want kids who want to be at BYU (If they choose a different school he moves on and coaches the kids he gets). There is a difference. If this kid now wants to be at BYU then he is welcome at BYU.

He DID basically tell Bourbon to pound sand when the kid committed elsewhere and then wanted to open his recruitment back up to BYU...


Entirely different circumstance. Bourbon was offered a Schollie and turned it down. His offer was given to someone else and is no longer available to him. Has nothing to do with a kid that goes to a school and then decides he wants to transfer to a different school. I would be willing to be that if Bourbon walked on to BYU and made the team, he would be given a Scholorship when one was available for him, and he would not be turned down the opportunity to attend the school.

ORRRR.... in a year from now if Bourbon still wants to attend BYU and there is a schollie, he'd get it.
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Schmoe
Florwood wrote:
With the new Riley Nelson rule, a player changing schools off a mission sits and year and loses a year of eligibility. Would Kavienga be subject to this, or since it's pre-mission would only involve sitting a year?


If I heard correctly, K is going to be a mid-year transfer, so he'll be attending BYU before he leaves on his mission, and therefore won't be subject to the Riley Rule. I could be way off base on this one, please someone correct me if I'm wrong.
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