From a young age Sione Veikoso knew that he wanted to serve on an LDS mission, and he did so once he graduated from Kailua High School in Honolulu, Hawaii. What he could not have anticipated, though, is that a mission that started in Brazil would move to Oregon due to the pandemic. Furthermore, the offensive lineman didn't know that he would ultimately switch his initial decision on the college of his choice to become the latest official addition to Arizona State’s 2021 recruiting class.
Some 24 hours after arriving home to Hawaii from his mission, we caught up with Veikoso and have him describe the journey that led him to become a member of ASU’s team.
“I started off my mission in Brazil six months after I graduated high school, and I was there for I was there for 16 months. Because of COVID-19 all foreign missionaries were sent back to their home countries. So, I spent the last seven months in Portland, Oregon. I landed yesterday (Wednesday the 16th) at 4:30 (pm HST) and then at six o'clock is when I met up with the Arizona State coaches on Zoom, and I signed the Letter of Intent. So less than two hours from the time I landed, I was signed. It was a crazy day, and I was excited to come home, see my family and sign the letter with Arizona State right when I came home. It was just happy feelings for the whole day.
“My high school head coach was talking to Tyson McDaniel (and ASU graduate assistant who primarily works with the offensive line) for a while, and Tyson served on a mission as well. I started getting emails from him back in June or July, and we set up a Zoom call with the coaches, and we talked about once a week because I was on a mission. I couldn’t talk to them daily. Every phone call, I started getting closer and closer to them. That’s when I realized that ASU was the place for me. Every time I talked to Herm Edwards, he told me, ‘I can’t wait to make you a Sun Devil!’ It was cool how excited he was to have me come there.
“On the first Zoom call (offensive Analyst), Kevin Mawae and (running backs) coach Shaun Aguano were on the call. I know there were some other coaches too. It was the first time I met Kevin Mawae, and I saw how well respected he was, being voted the (pro) Hall of Fame last year, and how much knowledge he has. It meant a lot that he is a Polynesian coach that I know will look out for me once I get there. That really stuck out to me. That was a big thing.
“Being on a mission, you don’t get to watch football games, and that made me appreciate the game even more and really miss it. My whole time during the mission, just seeing kids playing football made me think about the game and miss it even more. I knew that right after my mission was over that I was going to play in college. It makes me want to work even harder once I get to Arizona State.
“The thing I liked a lot about the mission was that everything was really scheduled. As missionaries were always expected to wake up at a certain time, we can make the most out of the day. We are expected to make a plan and just make sure that the day is being used to the best of it. That will help me a lot if football, taking college classes, and just helping me in life. It helps when you know you have to wake up early and make sure that every hour of your day is planned doing something. That keeps you busy and keeps you happy.
“The only colleges recruiting me in high school were BYU, Oregon State and Hawaii. The first time I talked to ASU was on was on my mission. Ever since I was young, even before I even into high school, I always knew that I wanted to serve on a mission. So even though those schools were recruiting me, I knew I was going to college later (after the mission). I committed to Oregon State in April (of 2020) while I was on my mission. Around August or September after I was taking to ASU for two months; I decided to commit to them. It was a tough decision because I really liked both schools and both of them have great coaches. I just went with the feeling of which school would feel more like home. Which school would help me grow better as a player and as a student? I talked to my family countless times. And after a lot of praying and thinking, I decided ASU was it. I think the coaches’ experience and knowledge and everything they have to offer me is probably the biggest reason why I would love to go to ASU.
“The ASU coaches always talked about how much they liked my size for an offensive tackle. I’m 6-7 330, and the coaches said that they liked my athleticism because I was playing basketball and volleyball as well in high school, which gives me better footwork and just makes me more agile. On the mission, we're all given like an hour a day in the morning to do some workouts. But I wasn't able to be completely in shape during the mission. I don’t think the coaches want me to lose too much weight, but just get more in shape and put more muscle on, maybe be 305 or 310 lbs.
“It was always set up for me to enroll in college in the spring right after my mission. It didn’t matter which college I was going to. I wanted to stay at home as few days as possible because I wanted to get right back into everything, back to football and back to work as soon as possible. It’s a huge advantage to come there (to ASU) in the spring and started working early.
“Being out of the game for two and a half years, I know I have to work hard. But I know the coaches are willing to have the patience with me, to go through step by step over everything and having me go back to my original football shape and getting back into the football mode. Those are my expectations.”
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