In an interesting twist on the college rugby v football story, former rugby High School All American Fitou Fisiiahi has passed on playing football at Oregon State to play rugby at Kutztown.

Fisiiahi had signed a letter of intent to play football for the Beavers, but remained in talks with his cousin, Kutztown rugby player Vetekina Malafu, about what opportunities were available at Kutztown.

Then Thursday news came that Fisiiahi had made the switch. He will not be getting a rugby scholarship at KU, although it’s likely his own financial situation will mean a heavy financial aid package from the school and federal government.

"I'm just doing what I love, and that's just playing rugby," Fisiiahi told KHON in Honolulu. "I don't want to do something that I'm not going to be 100 percent at. So I'm just trying to follow my dreams, where my real dreams [are], and that's rugby."

Kutztown Head Coach Gregg Jones has set Fisiiahi up at summer school at Kutztown to get him a head start on his academics.

The relationship between college rugby and college football continues to evolve. Coaches at Gonzaga HS tell the story of Reggie Corbin, who spent time this year meeting with college football programs. Each time he discussed playing rugby, teams responded positively.

“College football coaches see it as a positive,” said Gonzaga rugby coach Peter Bagetta. “They see it’s a team sport, a physical sport. To do well you have to be committed to the team, and they understand that it’s tough to play and that you need skills in contact and with the ball. All of those things turned out to be good for Reggie.”

Late in May Corbin committed to the University of Illinois.

Jahlani Tavai of Mira Costa and the HS All Americans will be playing football at the University of Hawaii, and one of the driving forces behind his decision to join the Warriors is that they will let him play rugby.

But it remains to be seen whether a player choosing rugby over football engenders any harsh feelings between the sports.