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Kearns' two-way starter Sione Finau is headed to Corvallis.
Cougars coach Matt Rickards confirmed Finau's commitment to Oregon State late Monday evening. The three-star prospect was unavailable for comment due to family reasons, but informed his coach he'd be joining the Beavers. He held offers from Nevada and Wyoming in addition to Oregon State.
"He's a very dynamic player, that's for sure," Rickards said. "He's very explosive on offense. Anytime he has the ball in his hands it can turn into a touchdown real quick. Defensively, he has such great instincts for the ball. He would make for a great safety or corner in the Pac-12. Whatever they decide to do with him — he's going to be a player."
Finau, who started since his freshman season, did it all for the Cougars, helping a struggling program enjoy its best regular season since 1993. He rushed for 946 yards and 16 touchdowns, ripping off 8.3 yards per carry, while adding 242 yards of production on 17 catches with two scores. Finau recorded 39 tackles and two sacks on defense.
Finau, who also placed first in the 110-meter hurdles this past May with a time of 15.98, is the brother of Utah's ​Class of 2014 recruit, Amone Finau, who is currently serving an LDS Church mission. In an interview with The Tribune earlier this season, Sione Finau said he would commit immediately if Utah offered. He tweeted a photo of his attendance to the Utah-Oregon State game on Saturday.
"We haven't really talked a whole lot about that," Rickards said. "He came up to me [Monday] and said, 'Hey, coach, I'm going to commit to Oregon State.' I don't blame him for taking the offer. I think they're a program that is going to be on the rise, especially with recruiting that they're doing. I think they're going to have a great program in the future."
— Trevor Phibbs
Twitter: @trevorphibbs