I'm from Phoenix, Arizona. Born and raised. I started football when I was six years old. I was actually a running back. I have this picture of me getting the ball, and the other running back is just standing there looking at me, all wide-eyed, not blocking or anything. I remember getting killed on that play. That picture is my first memory of football.

I tried baseball and other sports before, but once I started playing football, I fell in love. It was my escape. Once I started getting to know the game more and more, I couldn't back away from it. In 6th grade, I realized I could start training to get better, and I haven't looked back since.

I've always liked watching football. The NFL teams I root for are the Steelers and the Raiders. I know that's a strange mix, but my uncle played for the Steelers. Over time, I got more and more into the history of the Steelers' success and realized defense really does win championships. The more I studied, the more I realized that the Raiders had their success the same way. They were physical, and they were crazy. I love that.

As far as colleges, it's always been USC.

I have a lot of family that has gone to USC, and growing up Samoan, it's always been about the USC Trojans because of how heavy the Polynesian culture is there. It wasn't just about football. I remember when I was little, I had this coin with a Trojan on it, and I kept it for the longest time.

For a lot of Polynesians and Samoans, sometimes the only way to college is by playing football. For a lot of us, when we are playing football, we are envisioning ourselves at USC. It's just always been the dominant school. You hear about schools like BYU and Washington every so often, but the school you hear about the most in Polynesian families and circles, is USC.

For me, culture is everything. The way I was raised, it's all about respect. You earn respect by doing things that make your family happy and your culture proud. Everything that I do, and everything my brother does, we do to make our family proud, and to show off our culture. That's the only way we know. Last week I was able to be part of history by being included the first Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii. I was injured, so I didn't get to play, but I was honored to be able to take part.

My freshman year I went to high school at Marcos De Niza. Both Byron Murphy and N'Keal Harry were there with me. After that season, the varsity coach left, and so did the three of us. We all ended up at different schools. That's when I decided to go to Mountain Pointe, which up until today is the best decision I have made in my football life.

My sophomore year was the first time that I played safety. I didn't expect to be on the defensive side of the ball at all. Receiver is where I saw my future. We played a game against Chandler, who had Bryce Perkins, Chase Lucas, and my old teammate N'Keal Harry. That game was the first time that I realized I could hang with some of the big guys.

My junior year was the first time that I got to play with my little brother, Matthew. It has always been a dream of mine to play with him. When he finally got moved up to varsity, my heart exploded. It was a dream come true. Matthew and I always had a picture in our head of him blowing up the quarterback, and me getting an interception. We're both running down the sideline together, with him leading me to the end zone. Its goofy, but we are always thinking of doing stuff together, and how to better each other.

Our coach, Norris Vaughan, has helped me to become a vocal leader, because I wasn't always the best at that. He pushed me to be the best person I could be, as well as the best leader for the team. That's what it's about. It's not about me, it's about the team, and he helped me to put the team first. Along with my family, and all of the other coaches, Vaughan helped me to stay grounded when my head was up in the clouds. I love everything about that school; the teachers, the classes, the coaches, and our principal Mr. Kipper loves football, so that's always a plus.

If I have one regret, it's not being able to leave on top. I feel like there were parts of that championship game that were taken for granted, and not treated like a business trip. It hurts, but it motivates me for the next level.

After my surgery, it's time to grind. Rehab. Weights. I'm trying to get a ring on my finger. I don't care what it takes, I just want a ring.

I remember my first offer. A coach pulled me out of class and walked me into the coaches office. Utah was there with Coach Vaughan. Coach Vaughan introduced me and the next thing I heard was "Isaiah, we want to offer you a scholarship." After that I just blacked out. I had finally gotten my first one, but deep down I knew that it wasn't enough. I wanted more, and I wanted to be better.

Honestly, I couldn't stop thinking about my family. I knew that I had just made my family happy. They wanted to jump through the phone and give me a hug. I could not wait to get home to them and see their faces, because all of this hard work finally paid off. Knowing that they did not have to pay for college took a lot off my shoulders.

At first, the offers gave me a big head. I'll admit that I got a little cocky. But my parents brought me back to down to earth real quick, and real hard. I used to open each and every recruiting letter that came, but once I got some more offers and recognition I stopped opening my mail. My parents made me realize that I needed to humble myself. They told me "you're not the only one getting offers." It made me realize I needed to stay hungry, and do what I needed to set myself apart. That hit me really hard, so I had to sit back and think about who I was.

My parents are everything to me. I can always depend on them. When I have wandered off, they've been the ones to help me get back on the path. I haven't always listened to them, and we have gone through hard times, but the one thing that has stayed constant is that they love me and care for me. They push me to be the best I can be.

My recruitment has been a blessing. I can't complain. To have a top three of Arizona State, USC and Washington, there is no wrong choice. I appreciate ASU and I am thankful for everyone there. I have genuine love for Coach TJ Rushing. Both he and Coach Todd Graham are very real, very genuine people. At Washington, I love Coach Peterson and I would love to play for him. He embodies faith, family and football. Everything that he speaks trickles down through every coach and every player in that program.

When I considered the school I wanted to attend, I considered a few things: The depth chart, the talent they are bringing in and a little bit of emotion. With USC, it is my family's school, and has been my childhood favorite. That's where my heart is.

Coach Helton. There is something about that guy that is just different. He really does love us and he really does love USC. I don't know what it is, there is just something about him. When I was with him, we didn't even talk about football. We talked about life. We talked about the Trojan family. We talked about my surgery. We talked a lot about his family. That's one thing I love about him. He really does love his family, as well as his football family. It doesn't feel like there is any difference. I know that when he puts on his coaching voice, that he is still that same family man I want to play for.

USC didn't recruit me until later in the process, and at first I took that as them seeing me as a backup option. I felt disrespected, but then I realized, one of the reasons I was grinding and putting in so much work was because I wanted that attention from USC. Not having that attention early on has actually made me a better player. On my visit I never felt like anything less than their number one recruit. They made me feel like I was leaving my family in Arizona and joining another family at USC. They made me feel at home.

I made my decision in Hawaii. I prayed about it and I feel like it was made very clear to me. In my heart I knew I was set on USC. There was no question about it. I knew where I was going at that point, and I knew what I had to do to get there.

When I look at their roster, I see they only have one player from Arizona, Connor Murphy. I am going out there to represent Arizona and show Southern California what Arizona has to offer.

I plan on leaving after school ends to join their summer program. I am going to start lifting, and when it comes time to start practicing, I am going to compete for a starting job. If I come up short, then I will have an opportunity to sit back and learn from someone who has proven they are truly better than me. In the meantime, I am going in with the mindset that I am going to play. I want to make a difference now.