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College Football’s Top Foreign Players
Everyone knows which states are hotbeds for college football recruiting, but what about the gridiron talent imported from outside the U.S.? Find out which countries are represented as Campus Insiders' associate editor Rich Cirminiello lists his top imports in college football.
August 12, 2015
Football, the American version, has gradually become an international phenomenon, with popularity
rising on every continent. But unlike a generation ago, when simply being an NFL fan sufficed, today’s
globetrotting young athletes dream of being NFL players. And since being a pro requires an
apprenticeship at some institution of higher learning, it’s no wonder that many college football rosters
now contain at least one player from outside the U.S. border.
Mining 50 states for talent is no longer enough for today’s coaches, who recognize that Australia, Canada,
Europe and American Samoa are home to hidden gems. While passports and a translation guide are
required, importing a raw athlete from overseas can pay long-term dividends, particularly to a special
teams unit. The following 15 players have spent most of their lives in a foreign land, yet each has adapted
well to new surroundings, new cultures and a sport that wasn’t their first love growing up.
Honorable Mention:
DT Mehdi Abdesmad, Boston College (Montreal, Canada), OG Ben Dew, Houston (Auckland, New
Zealand), OG Ryan Doull, Virginia (Kanata, Canada), DT Daniel Ekuale, Washington State (Pago Pago,
American Samoa), OT David Hedelin, Purdue (Stockholm, Sweden), DT Elliot Hoyte, Boise State (Tavistock,
England), OG Sebastian Johnansson, Marshall (Karlstad, Sweden), OT Andreas Knappe, Connecticut
(Silkeborg, Denmark), WR Demitri Knowles, Virginia Tech (Freeport, Bahamas), WR Brayden Lenius,
Washington (N. Vancouver, Canada), LB Rommel Mageo, Oregon State (Pago Pago, American Samoa)
OT Lene Maiava, Arizona (Tafuna, American Samoa), OT Sunny Odogwu, Miami (Ezeagu, Nigeria)
OT Jason Osei, Baylor (London, England), DE Sonny Sanitoa, UNLV (Pago Pago, American Samoa)
TE Mavin Saunders, Florida State (Bimini, Bahamas), FB Patrick Skov, Georgia Tech (Guadalajara, Mexico)
15. WR Juwan Brescacin, Northern Illinois
Hometown: Mississauga, Canada
Now that Da’Ron Brown is a Kansas City Chief, Brescacin has to be more of a factor after catching 31 balls
for 445 yards and six touchdowns for a second consecutive year. At 6-4 and 224 pounds, he’s a mismatch
nightmare, with the ability to stretch the field. Plus, he has enormous hands and a basketball background,
so he can pluck balls out the air as if he’s cleaning the glass. Brescacin has a golden opportunity to impress
NFL scouts in his final year in DeKalb. But he has to do more than just flash by bringing it on a weekly
basis.
14. DE Destiny Vaeao, Washington State
Hometown: Pago Pago, American Samoa
With 22 starts over the past three years, Vaeao is poised to break out as a senior. In fact, the potential is
there for him to parlay one complete season into plenty of looks from NFL scouts. He’s 6-4 and 295
pounds, yet moves with all of the agility and suddenness of a much smaller defender. And while the sacks
have been scare to date, including just a pair in 2014, Vaeao has performed this offseason as if he plans
on putting it all together in the fall. He was tough to corral this past spring facing an underrated Wazzu O-
line.
13. OT Josiah St. John, Oklahoma
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Toronto. Junior college stops in Fresno, Calif. and Athens, Tex. St. John is finally getting his long-awaited
opportunity to excel on a big stage as a Sooner senior. He’s going to start at one of the tackle spots in
Norman now that Tyrus Thompson and Daryl Williams have exhausted their eligibility. And St. John looks
the part at 6-6 and 309 pounds. But he played sparingly off the bench in 2014, so he’ll need to get up to
speed quickly, or else it could hamstring the new offense being installed by Lincoln Riley.
12. OT Justin Senior, Mississippi State
Hometown: Montreal, Canada
Last season, Senior was a right tackle complement on a veteran Bulldog line boasting seniors Dillon Day,
Ben Beckwith and Blaine Clausell. This fall, Senior is one of the vets looking to protect QB Dak Prescott,
and an important part of the offensive blueprint. He played soccer in Montreal and defensive end in the
early stages of his football career, so he has the necessary footwork to seal the edge on incoming pass
rushers. Now, Senior needs to block with more consistency, because Prescott & Co. are depending on it.
11. P Will Gleeson, Ole Miss
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Not only did Gleeson average a shade under 43 yards per punt as a redshirt freshman in 2014. But he did
so in just his second season playing American football, so the sky is the limit for the Melbourne native.
Once he masters the mechanics and nuances, the 6-3, 197-pounder will be on his way to becoming one of
the SEC’s premier punters. And like so many athletes from his homeland, Gleeson is an outstanding all-
around athlete, which makes him a pretty effective last line of defense in coverage.
10. PK Rafael Gaglianone, Wisconsin
Hometown: Sao Paulo, Brazil
Like most kids in Brazil, Gaglianone dreamt of kicking a round ball through an 8×24 futbol goal. Fate,
however, took him in a slightly different direction. The Sao Paulo native was introduced to American
football while at Baylor High School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and he quickly realized an affinity for
splitting slimmer uprights. In his first season with the Badgers, he converted all but three of 22 field goal
tries, occasionally showcasing South American-inspired dance moves as celebration. Gaglianone has good
pop in his leg, but it’s his accuracy that’ll make him a four-year regular in Madison.
9. RB Akeel Lynch, Penn State
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
After sharing touches with Bill Belton and Zach Zwinak the last two seasons, Lynch is ready to become the
feature back in the Lion offense. Injuries created more opportunities in 2014 for Lynch, who responded
with a team-high 678 yards and four scores on 147 carries. At 6-0 and 215 pounds, he can run through
tacklers or make them miss with his quick feet and sudden change of direction. While Lynch prepped in
Upstate New York to garner more exposure, he grew up in Toronto, which remains his home today.
8. OG Blake Muir, Baylor
Hometown: Sutherland, Australia
It’s quite possible that no player in college football has logged more frequent flyer miles than Muir. He
learned American football playing for a local Australian club team and spent two seasons at Hawaii before
transferring to Baylor. Muir played real well in his first season in Waco, earning honorable mention All-Big
12 at left guard after Desmine Hilliard went down with an injury. He’s surprisingly athletic for a 6-6, 310-
pounder, the residue of years as a medal-winning swimmer and an accomplished Aussie Rules footballer.
7. P Alexander Kinal, Wake Forest
Hometown: Adelaide, Australia
Kinal is the latest in a growing line of successful punters from Oz. In Winston-Salem, the 6-4, 205-pound
Aussie native gets plenty of chances to hone his craft, punting 81 times for a 43.6-yard average a season
ago. And beyond his obvious leg strength, Kinal has also improved his hang time and ball placement,
helping to justify his appearance on the 2014 All-ACC Second Team. Although it didn’t get as much
attention as deserved, the special teamers were a key reason why Wake was unexpectedly feisty on D last
fall.
6. P Jamie Keehn, LSU
Hometown: Gracemere, Australia
The Tigers’ latest Australian punter is on the verge of becoming an All-SEC performer in his final season as
an amateur. The 25-year-old bounced back from a rocky sophomore season to rank No. 9 nationally with
a 44.9-yard average. He has a powerful leg, but just needs to fine-tune his mechanics and consistency.
Keehn took a rather circuitous and unorthodox route to Baton Rouge. Literally raised in the outback on a
cattle farm, he was a javelin star before even realizing how far he could launch a ball with his foot.
5. WR Tevaun Smith, Iowa
Hometown: Toronto, Canada
In February, Smith became a You Tube star, smashing Odell Beckham’s world record for one-handed grabs
in 60 seconds. In the fall, he plans to be replace Kevonte Martin-Manley as the Hawkeyes’ preferred
target in the passing game. At 6-2 and 205 pounds, Smith has excellent size to go along with the
athleticism and speed to get deep from time to time. Able to push around defensive backs, he knows how
to get after the ball, coming up with a team-leading 596 yards and three scores on 43 catches to earn
honorable mention All-Big Ten. Smith is a Canadian of Jamaican descent, with a maple leaf proudly tatted
on his right bicep.
4. P Cameron Johnston, Ohio State
Hometown: Geelong, Australia
Johnston wasn’t asked to punt much in 2014. But when he did, he usually was effective. Johnston is the
latest in a growing line of graduates to train under Nathan Chapman at Melbourne’s Prokick Australia. The
junior possesses an explosive leg, with the fast-twitch muscles to drive the ball with speed and ferocity.
Johnston would have ranked eighth nationally had he qualified with enough attempts, and 26 of his 48
punts were placed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. He makes navigating talented Buckeye defense
even tougher to navigate by flipping the field and pinning the other guys deep.
3. DT Adam Gotsis, Georgia Tech
Hometown: Abbotsford, Australia
Gotsis has come a long way since his days as a rugby and Aussie Rules Football star Down Under. The 6-5,
282-pound rising star took a quantum leap in his development last year, evolving into a Second Team All-
ACC performer from the interior. He’s still a little raw, as expected. But his combination of brute strength,
long arms and quickness forces opponents to commit multiple blockers to neutralize him. While Gotsis’
numbers dipped to 36 tackles, 6.5 stops for loss and three sacks because of the extra attention, his
presence in the middle makes everyone around him distinctly more effective.
2. PK Brad Craddock, Maryland
Hometown: Adelaide, Australia
Coming off a terrific 21-of-25 sophomore season, the reigning Lou Groza Award winner missed a 54-
yarder against Rutgers in 2014 – that’s it. He hit everything else finishing with 18-of-19 field goals along
with all 44 extra points. More than just solid, he hit from long range over and over again to save a
middling offense, nailing 11-of-12 shots from beyond 40 yards, including a 57-yarder against Ohio State
and a 50-yard shot versus Rutgers. The laid back Aussie, who arrived in College Park as a punter with no
placekicking experience, is seeking perfection in his final year as a Terp.
1. P Tom Hackett, Utah
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Hackett is the unsung hero of the Utah defense, because he’s one of the most effective punters in college
football. The one-time walk-on from Australia earned All-American honors a year ago and captured the
Ray Guy Award, which is given to the country’s most complete punter. He’s the total package at the
position, averaging 46.7 yards and attempt, while also leading the country in punts inside the opponents’
10-yard line. The precocious Hackett is an artist with his right foot, a somewhat secret weapon in the
Utes’ quest to continue rising up the Pac-12 ladder.
