Indiana State redshirt Charlie Leota — all 6 feet, 2 inches and 325 pounds of him — hails from Auckland, New Zealand, and has found himself in Terre Haute, Indiana.
So how did he get here? Well, it's not his first stop in the United States to play football.
Leota started at the New Mexico Military Institute before moving on to NCAA Division II West Texas A&M and then went on to Texas State, but didn't see any action.
Now he's here as a Sycamore defensive lineman.
Defensive coordinator Steve Morrison said when they're looking for transfers, they look everywhere.
"We really liked the way he played on tape, got the chance to get him in here on campus for a visit and really enjoyed the person that he was, the player that he was and he had some things in terms of getting back here from New Zealand," Morrison said.
Morrison was referring to his visa renewal.
"A lot of people worked really hard to make it happen on both sides and we're just happy he's here," Morrison said.
Leota played rugby in high school while attending Mount Albert Grammar School.
"When you see him, he's a large human being. But he is quick and [has] quick feet, [with a background of] playing other sports. [He can] change of direction, all those kind of things. That's apparent. That's the first thing you see," Morrison explained. "He is a physical football player."
Morrison said rugby is a tough sport and certainly translates over to football.
Coach Curt Mallory said when ISU recruited Leota, he was still at Texas State.
"When we got him here, you could see what type of young man he was," Mallory said. "Had to go back to New Zealand to get his visa renewed and that was a commitment that him and his mother made because it was going to take some time."
Leota missed quite a bit of time due to the visa process, but that when he got to Terre Haute, he was in better shape than they were anticipating.
"He's a wonderful young man and he's going to help us," Mallory said. "He's genuine and we're certainly glad to have him."
Leota said a lot of things in the U.S. were culture shock that he's had to adapt to and that it was challenging, but he's enjoying it now and having fun. Other differences he noted include the American accent, which he said was probably his biggest struggle when he arrived.
"A lot of people were having trouble understanding what I was saying," Leota explained. "But we're good now."
When he showed up in the U.S., he said the biggest changes for him were the speed of the game and the rules. As far as what he's taken from rugby, the footwork has helped him and rugby itself translates to football pretty well as far as the physicality and skills like tackling.
He said during his time playing junior college football, he had a family member put his name out and was able to help him join ISU. Leota said the atmosphere and people here have been good.
"Everyone I've met since I've come here have been great people," Leota told the Tribune-Star. "The community is great, especially the coaches too. The coaches make me feel welcome and always send their greetings and wishes."
After ISU, Leota said he hopes to play professional somewhere at some point.
"Going pro is the goal for me here," Leota mentioned. "I think it's a great place to do so."
One NFL player he said he looks up to is Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea.
"Pretty big dude," Leota said. "He kind of compares to me in terms of height and weight. So in a way, I try to replicate the way he plays and add a bit of my touch to it too."
