New USC offensive lineman received tough love from high school football coach

New USC offensive lineman Erwin Taomi didn’t follow a smooth and linear path to the Trojans. Three years ago, coming from Anchorage, Alaska, he was adrift and not doing the things he needed to do. He did know, however, that he really wanted to play for USC. His favorite player was Troy Polamalu. There was a hope, but that hope wasn’t connected to a vision or the discipline needed to fulfill it. That’s where Taomi’s coach at St. Joseph High School, Pepe Villasenor, came in, as reported by Luca Evans of the Orange County Register:

After one practice in the beginning of his senior year, Villasenor drove Taomi home. He started lighting the kid up. He’d been goofing off at practice. He’d gotten in trouble for not wearing proper attire. So Villasenor gave him some tough love, unsure how he’d respond.

The next day, when Villasenor drove him again, Taomi’s eyes started welling up.

“Coach,” Villasenor recalled Taomi telling him, “I’ll never disappoint you again.”

By the end of his time at St. Joseph, Taomi’s GPA had risen about a full point. He’d become like a son to Crisp, and anyone at St. Joseph would do anything for him, Villasenor said. And the kid from Alaska will get the shot he’s always longed for.

“I feel like I’m actually within a movie script, you know what I mean?” Villasenor said.

Now the script goes to Hollywood and USC. The Trojans are hoping for another feel-good plot twist.

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