Mahelona reneges on Oklahoma, selects Tennessee

Bryce Alderton

Jesse Mahelona, a sophomore defensive tackle at Orange Coast College

last fall, signed a letter of intent Dec. 17 to continue his football

and academic career at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville,

Tenn., reneging on his verbal commitment to play at Oklahoma.

Mahelona, a 6-foot-2, 290-pound All-Mission Conference and

all-state selection in 2002 as a freshman, announced his intention to

attend Oklahoma in October, but changed course after meeting with

Tennessee coaches and attending the Volunteers game against

Mississippi State on Nov. 15.

“I felt more comfortable in Tennessee with playing and having

family close by,” Mahelona said Tuesday from Kona, Hawaii, where he

was visiting his family for the holidays.

Mahelona’s brother, Steven Mahelona, is a junior tailback at

Tusculum College in Greenville, Tenn., which claimed the South

Atlantic Conference championship this season.

Mahelona was also disappointed when Mike Stoops left as Oklahoma’s

co-defensive coordinator to take the head coaching job at Arizona in

late November.

“He told me he would be [at Oklahoma] for four, five, six years,”

Mahelona said. “I take nothing away from him because it is a

business, but he really didn’t give me a straight answer if he would

be at Oklahoma. He knows a lot about football with the No. 1-rated

defense in the nation.”

Mahelona said calls made to Oklahoma coaches -- after he verbally

committed -- were not returned, further swaying his decision to look

elsewhere.

OCC Coach Mike Taylor received a phone call from Tennessee head

coach Phillip Fulmer at the beginning of November inquiring about

Mahelona.

“I thought he was going to Oklahoma, but a verbal commitment

doesn’t mean anything,” Taylor said. “I was surprised [Fulmer] called

my office. [Fulmer] asked if I thought he had a chance [at persuading

Mahelona to attend Tennessee] and I said, ‘I don’t think you do.’”

Fulmer, however, was successful and Mahelona plans on attending

classes at Tennessee -- with an emphasis on broadcast and speech

communication -- when school resumes Jan. 11. The Volunteers (10-2)

are preparing for their Peach Bowl game against Clemson Jan. 2.

Arizona State was also in the running to land Mahelona, coming off

an injury-shortened sophomore season at Coast. The Hawaii native

tallied 19 tackles and three sacks, but his season was cut short

after the fourth game because of a broken fifth metatarsal in his

right foot sustained in Coast’s season opener Sept. 6.

Mahelona visited the ASU campus in Tempe in October and was in

contact with assistant head coach Tom Osborne and defensive line

coach Ted Monachino.

“Tom Osborne was the first guy to start calling me,” Mahelona

said. “I kept ASU in mind, but it came down to my trip to Tennessee.”

“I told the coaches the last one [to speak with Mahelona] is going

to get him,” Taylor said. “It is like running a sales business. If

someone is semi-interested you stay on it until the final door is

shut.”

“Everything worked out for a reason,” Mahelona said.