Boogie is a Buff

Boogie Sewell left American Samoa with his cousin Gabriel Sewell in February of 2012 in hopes of bettering his education and exposure as a football player. Two-and-a-half years later, the 6-foot-0, 315-pound defensive tackle prospect received and accepted an offer from Colorado.

Sewell announced his college decision on the ESPN Radio affiliate in his hometown of St. George, Utah, on Wednesday afternoon, then talked with BuffStampede.com at length about it afterward.

"It is just a blessing and that is the only word I can use to describe it," Sewell said of his commitment to Colorado. "Growing up, I never knew I would have the opportunity to have a Pac-12 offer. I felt like if I didn't take it now, I would be selfish because if I wasn't here in St. George or playing for Desert Hills I would have never got that offer.

"Colorado had been watching me before it, but I stood out at the All-Poly Camp with my high motor and effort and I got the offer. Again, it is a blessing. I called 'Coach Mac' (Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre) and talked to him and committed. He gave the phone to six of his assistant coaches and I talked to all of them. They are all excited that I committed today. They are really appreciative, and so am I."

Sewell chose the Buffaloes over offers from Army, Buffalo, Montana, Southern Utah and Weber State. He might take a two-year Mormon mission but said no plans are concrete at the moment.

His aforementioned cousin Gabriel Sewell also has an offer from the Buffaloes, which he is strongly considering.

"I am actually just going to let him make his choice because I know if he was me, he wouldn't pressure me to follow him," Boogie said when asked if he will try to convince his cousin to follow him to Boulder. "Even if it means he goes to another Pac-12 school and it means that I will have to play against him, whatever he chooses is truly up to him and I will support him 100 percent."

While his legal name is Lausii, Sewell goes by Boogie. It is a nickname he has had since he was a newborn.

"People can barely pronounce my first name. I've got like six different versions of my first name. It's Lau-si-i. On my football documents and stuff like that they put 'Lausii Boogie,'" he said.

Sewell recorded 52 tackles, five sacks and one interception as a junior at Desert Hills. He considers his selflessness as a player to be his best attribute. It is a good attribute for any defensive tackle to have.

"I put my team before myself. I will do whatever I can for the team," he said. "If I have a broken hand or something, I will still go in there and give my team my all and that is just my mindset I have when I play. Going into this senior season, I just have a lot of motivation, a lot of hype going into it. I got my dream to be able to play college football at the Pac-12 level and I am truly grateful for that."

Wednesday's announcement is just the beginning as Sewell sees it. He plans to return to American Samoa some day. But before he does, he wants to create a legacy for himself.

"I came here with the vision that when I go back to the islands, I am going back with my name out there and be known; be known as a football player and that I made a name for myself here," Sewell said. "I want to make my family proud, especially my mom and my grandma.

"They have sacrificed countless times with money for football stuff and they just put themselves before me to help me be where I am today. Getting that Pac-12 scholarship, that isn't even enough payback for them. I still want to thank them and pay them back some more."

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