Jeremiah Taleni slipped on his new jersey and walked onto Florida Atlantic’s practice fields.
It was 90 degrees. The sky was blue. It all felt familiar.
“I couldn’t give up palm trees and coconuts,” Taleni said.
Taleni is used to those. He grew up in Kaneohe, Hawaii, where he began playing football in the eighth grade. A few years later, he accepted a scholarship to play at Pitt.
Everything went smoothly until last April. Entering his fifth season as a redshirt senior defensive tackle, Taleni was kicked off the team for violating undisclosed rules. Taleni wouldn’t specify what rules he broke.