Published Dec 12, 2022
New Wazzu DB commit Kapena Gushiken a proud 'late bloomer'
Ryan Young  ā€¢  WazzuWatch
Pac-12 Publisher

Coming out of high school in Honolulu, defensive back Kapena Gushiken had no Division I football offers -- only some interest from NAIA and Division III schools -- but that didn't shake his self-confidence or belief in his own potential.

In evaluating junior colleges, he narrowed his focus to three schools but didn't hear back from two of them. Again, he continued to believe in his dreams.

"My high school head coach knew the head coach now at Saddleback, and they were the only program who were willing to take me and that was it," Gushiken recalls.

In two seasons at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., the defensive back racked up 14 pass breakups and an interception while finally convincing the some major FBS programs that he was indeed good enough.

In all, Gushiken drew 11 FBS offers following his two years of JUCO and on Monday he announced his commitment to Washington State.

"From a young age, I mean, I was really good. I had the passion. I was really just undersized. I was a late-bloomer," said Gushiken, who recalls being 5-foot-3 and barely 100 pounds as a high school freshman. "I didn't hit puberty probably until my junior year of high school. I always saw my potential before anybody else. I always believed in myself when nobody else did. ...

"Once my body grew the size of my heart, the rest is history."

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Now 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Gushiken caught the Cougars eye as a fit for their needs at nickel.

"I only played corner pretty much my entire life, but after them evaluating my film they're recruiting me at nickel. With that being said, [they] needed a guy who can cover in the back end and also help in the run and not many players can do that," he said.

Gushiken took official visits to Cal and Washington State and is still planning to visit Arizona this coming weekend, but he's pretty set in his decision with the Cougars.

"Just the vibe. When comparing the two visits, Cal and Wazzu, I just seen myself happier at Wazzu. The people there, the coaches, the players, their culture, very family-oriented. Being from Hawaii, family is everything. Family, trust, just all of that," he said. "All those aspects are very important to me, and Wazzu was special -- it was a special experience on that visit and I felt it was only right I could see myself there."

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