Mater Dei’s Faoliu gets two last-minute offers, but stays with Oregon

Mater Dei football players signed a National Letter of Intent on Wednesday. Osiris St Brown (Stanford), from left, Quentin Lake (UCLA), Xavier Bell (Arizona), Austin Faoliu (Oregon), Jalen Cole ( Montana State), Connor Brazeel (Cal) and Roman Kafentzis (Boise State) signed while being cheered on by other students and their parents at the Santa Ana school. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Gretchen Shoenberger signed a National Letter of Intent to row crew for Harvard University. The Mater Dei high senior signed during a ceremony at the Santa Ana school. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Austin Faoliu signed a National Letter of Intent to play football for the University of Oregon. The Mater Dei high senior signed during a ceremony at the Santa Ana school. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Quentin Lake, center, signs a National Letter of Intent to play football for UCLA at Santa Ana's Mater Dei High. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Mater Dei High's Jalen Cole, second, from right, signed a National Letter of Intent to play football for Montana State at the Santa Ana high school. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Proud parents serve as the paparazzi to take a group picture of Mater Dei High athletes who signed a National Letter of Intent at the Santa Ana high school. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Quentin Lake signed a National Letter of Intent with to play football for UCLA at Santa Ana's Mater Dei High on Wednesday. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

By Steve Fryer | sfryer@scng.com | Orange County Register

February 1, 2017 at 11:08 p.m.

Mater Dei nose tackle Austin Faoliu changed his mind once. He was tempted to change his mind again.

Faoliu woke up Wednesday morning prepared to sign a National Letter of Intent with Oregon.

Then he got a phone call from USC. A player had suddenly backed out of his commitment to USC, so USC called Faoliu to offer him a scholarship.

Faoliu turned down the Trojans’ offer.

Then came another phone call. It was Michigan, which also made a last-minute offer.

Faoliu stuck with his commitment to Oregon and signed with the Ducks during a ceremony in Mater Dei’s Meruelo Athletic Center.

Faoliu had committed to Arizona, but withdrew that in early January. He then made a recruiting visit to Oklahoma. He announced his commitment to Oregon on Jan. 21 at the Polynesian Bowl.

Faoliu was flattered, honored and even interested when the Trojans and Wolverines called.

“I started re-thinking my commitment,” Faoliu said. “Then I thought over everything. I’m very comfortable with all of the coaches at Oregon and I couldn’t let them down.”

Faoliu (6-foot-4, 295 pounds) was All-Orange County first team in 2016.

FAMILY BOND

Quentin Lake signed with UCLA.

Could there have been a different destination for the Mater Dei cornerback?

His father Carnell Lake was an All-American linebacker at UCLA. After an NFL career in which he was named to the Pro Bowl five times as a defensive back, Lake was an assistant coach at UCLA and now he coaches cornerbacks for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Quentin Lake, an All-County first team selection in 2016, kept his college options open for a while.

“But once I got the UCLA offer it was pretty obvious,” Quentin said.

The son said the father did not make a push toward the Bruins.

“He said wherever I want to go,” Quentin said, “that he would support me every step of the way.”

ROOM FOR ROWING

It’s not often that Orange County has a rowing athlete who is part of a letter-of-intent signing ceremony. That happened at Mater Dei, as Gretchen Shoenberger was part of the celebration.

Shoenberger, who is headed for Havard, is in the junior rowing program at Newport Aquatic Center.

Contact the writer: sfryer@scng.com