Utah senior Jason Fanaika’s college football experience has followed an interesting path and later this week, Fanaika will face a friend-turned-foe.
While transitioning through various phases in his life, Fanaika has seen just about everything, from changing schools and serving an LDS mission, to taking care of an ill family member and getting married. With all this, Fanaika knows where he stands among his team.
Fanaika began his career at USU and dedicated his time and work into earning his spot on the team.
“I went there after high school, I signed my letter of intent to play for coach [Gary] Anderson, and played through the summer and fall. After that I left for my mission and came back,” said Fanaika. “I earned the job at Utah State in 2011– we played Auburn, and Anderson decided to let me play after barely getting there. I was fortunate to earn the job as a linebacker over there.”
After making the decision to serve an LDS mission, Fanaika was faced with challenging circumstances that essentially led to him returning home. When he learned his father was diagnosed with colon cancer, Fanaika began financially supporting his family, something his brothers were unable to do because they had their own families out of state.
“I decided to come home, discontinue my mission and help out with my family,” said Fanaika.
At first when Fanaika returned from his mission, he sat out at USU for a short period of time, but things were different. All the coaches who had recruited him were no longer there, and his heart was not fully committed.
“My dad had cancer, so I was more focused on being home, more than anything,” said Fanaika.
Fanaika undertook various jobs without any specific area of expertise to help his family during this time. They were all fun jobs to him that helped keep him and his family stable. But before any of this, two months prior to attending Utah State, Fanaika worked for Vivint and then later worked with his dad selling steel while at the same time playing for Utah State.
Later, Fanaika worked as a full-time credit consultant, which is where he was six months prior to the walk-on call for Utah. He also worked at Lexington Law with his mother after his mission.
“It was pretty fun,” said Fanaika. “My mom got a job while my dad was pretty sick, and I have three younger siblings so I would give them rides and babysit and take care of them.”
Time eventually ran its course for Fanaika, and he found himself a starting spot on Utah’s roster. Things continue to look up for him, his family and his father’s health.
Fanaika looks forward to playing Utah State this Friday as a dedicated member of the Utah football family. But he will also perform with a level of respect toward his former Aggie teammates.
“I try to keep all my energy and focus on here and on my family because I have a little girl now,” Fanaika said. “But when Utah State wins, it’s definitely good for their program. Utah State was very good to me, and the city of Logan was very kind to me.”
Fanaika and his teammates are tackling their upcoming opponent just as they would any other level of competition. They are going into this game with all the confidence they have.
“This game is big because it’s rivalry,” Fanaika said. “You’ve got guys from the state of Utah that want to play hard and show off for their family.”
Now as a well-rounded player, Fanaika takes the lessons he’s learned in his journey and applies them to his experience at Utah. As he connects the dots, he is able to see the progression in himself and expresses gratitude for the people around him.
“When I went to Utah State the first time, I was definitely immature, I made a lot of mistakes and I definitely had a big head when I went up there,” Fanaika said. “But from the time I’ve spent doing all these different things, like working, and trying to provide for a family now I take all these opportunities I’ve been given more serious.”
Fanaika is thankful for his family and the game he loves and because of this, he is taking every opportunity in his life more seriously than before.
“All of the blessings we have, this facility, this team, all the talent. You know, It’s definitely a humbling experience when you sit back and you look at it,” Fanaika said. “There’s tons of guys on this team that have had hard, tough roads, and they cherish that. I can say for myself that I cherish the road I’ve come from.”
@laurenrose324