Mahelona going to Tennessee

By Leila Wai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Jesse Mahelona is going from a Sooner to a Volunteer.

Mahelona, a 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive lineman from Kailua, Kona, said although he verbally committed to play football for Oklahoma last month, he will sign a letter of intent with Tennessee on Dec. 17.

"I'm not going to go to Oklahoma just because they are the No. 1 team in the nation," Mahelona said. "I'm going to a school where I can be happy the next three years of my life."

He said that after verbally committing to Oklahoma, the coaches would not return his numerous phone calls.

Frustrated, he went to visit his brother, Steven, who is a junior running back for Tusculum, a Division II team in Greeneville, Tenn., 45 minutes away from Knoxville.

While he was there, he made an official recruiting visit to Tennessee, where he met defensive end J.T. Mapu, a 2002 Kahuku graduate, who "kept on telling me how good the program is."

Mahelona, a 2000 graduate of Kealakehe, said he will return to Hawai'i in the middle of December, sign his letter of intent, and then join Tennessee for bowl practices, in a bowl yet to be determined.

Vols' cornerback Jason Allen, a sophomore, did that two years ago, according to Tennessee assistant sports information director John Painter.

Mahelona will be considered a spring transfer and will practice with the Volunteers during spring drills.

Tennessee (9-2) is ranked No. 7 in The Associated Press Top 25 Poll.

Reach Leila Wai at lwai@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-2457.