When Seung Hoon Choi first moved to the U.S. at the age of 14, the thought of someday
being a University of Nebraska football player was the furthest thing from his mind. He had
little idea what a Cornhusker even was.
Yet landing in Lincoln, where an uncle was a researcher at the university, put him squarely
into the middle of the American heartland's football culture. So perhaps it's no surprise that
Choi - who first started playing the game last season - is cranking up plans to become a
Cornhusker. Nebraska recruiters asked him to be a walk-on and the Lincoln Christian High
School senior has agreed.
As far as anyone can tell he'll be the first Korean to be part of the Nebraska program, so it's
uncharted territory for both the Huskers and for Choi.
Or as one post about Choi read on a Nebraska football Web site: "A project for sure, but
real potential and very strong."
How strong? His bench press is somewhere between 400 and 450 pounds, depending on
who you ask (Choi says 400, while his high school coach, Matt Farup, reckons it's more
like 450).
Of course Choi has a lot of his own weight behind that lift. Farup says Choi was a little soft
when he came to Lincoln. These days, at the age of 18, he's growing into his weight and
currently tips the scales at a robust 310 pounds spread out over his 6-foot-2-inch frame. 
Still, Choi will be just another big body when he attempts to make the Nebraska football
team.
"I'm really excited for next year," he says. "I'm really looking forward to it. I think it will
be fun and intense. But I know I have a lot to work on too."
Among those areas where Choi sees room for improvement: balance, toughness and
aggressiveness.
Farup says the mindset of an offensive lineman is something Choi will need to grow into.
He's a nice kid, Farup says, which is a great attribute most of the time, but not always the
best trait for a Division I football player. Part of it might be that in high school Choi was
often way bigger than anyone he played against. Come college that won't be as much of an
issue anymore.
"He'll have to make the transition from being a dominant player in high school in terms of
size and strength to being technically sound going up against players his size and strength,"
said Farup. "Also, there is always going to be tough times for kids going into big time
football. Is he going to work through those times?"
But Farup does believe Choi has what it takes to succeed at the next level.
"He is teachable," he said, "and very motivated to do well."
Choi knows the road ahead of him is a tough one. But he's already proven he can pick up a
sport in a couple years and overcome language and cultural barriers along the way. Now,
taking on Division I doesn't seem so scary.
"I can't wait," he says.