2024 OL Manasse Itete recaps midweek visit to Cal
Like so many of the people who eventually find their way to the United States from other countries, Manasse Itete made the trek across the globe from the Democratic Republic of the Congo hoping to find opportunity in America. His goal was to receive a high-level education at first, but Itete began playing basketball — a sport he mostly played casually back home — and it started to open doors for him while living in Texas.
The 6-foot-6 prospect envisioned his path to college taking place on the basketball court at that time. He ultimately ended up at Modesto Christian where he was urged to give football a try. It's a sport he had no knowledge about, and he certainly had no experience.
Still, he gave it a go last year for the first time.
There was an adjustment and steep learning curve, but he eventually found his way onto the field as an offensive lineman.
"Football is one thing that I never heard about before," he said. "I learned football when I came here to the US. I never knew about football. The coaches had to teach me how to put the pads on and how to wear the jersey. Then learn the game.
"When I started I was bad. Then just training, training. I keep getting better every day."
A severe ankle injury only allowed Itete to play two games as a sophomore. It was enough to get his feet wet and give him a starting point. Then he attacked the offseason working to improve as a player and become more comfortable with the game. He attended several camps through the spring and summer eventually hitting his stride around June.
The offers began to pour in.
Vanderbilt broke the ice after a camp performance quickly followed by the likes of Cal, USC, UCLA and Oregon State all within the span of a couple days. Oregon, Florida State, Utah and Nevada have followed since that time.
Itete quickly realized his future will not play out like he imagined.
"It motivated me to be honest," he said. "Basketball, I'm not the best but I'm tough. But, I never had interest like this or talk to the coaches like this. Getting invited on visits to college campuses, I never had that. When I saw that, it motivated me to get better, to be the best. I'm in the best moment of my life."
It has been a busy few days for the 2024 offensive lineman as he made the trek down to Los Angeles last week to watch UCLA take on Washington at the Rose Bowl. The Bruins have piqued his interest, so he wanted to take that staff up on a game-day invitation.
Tuesday, he stayed a little closer to home making the trip out to Berkeley from Modesto for an extended unofficial visit with the Cal coaches during the team's bye week. Itete visited Cal for the game against UNLV, but Tuesday's visit allowed him to have more time around the staff.
You must be a member to read the full article. Subscribe now for instant access to all premium content.
-
Members-only forums
-
Predict prospect commits with FanFutureCast
-
Exclusive highlights and interviews
-
Exclusive coverage of Rivals Camp Series
-
Breaking recruiting news
Manage privacy settings