‘I Always Thought I Was a Defensive Player’: Vailahi’s Journey from a Do-It-All High Schooler to College Running Back

STILLWATER — Sesi Vailahi was a late addition to the Cowboys’ 2023 recruiting class, and before OSU came around with an offer, Vailahi thought he’d be making tackles instead of breaking them at the college level.

Vailahi played all over the place for West High School in Salt Lake City. The opening three clips of his senior season Hudl highlights see him playing safety. He’s playing slot receiver in the fourth. You have to go about 1:40 into the reel to see Vailahi take a handoff, and even then, he’s coming in motion behind the quarterback.

“I didn’t know I was going to be a running back in college,” Vailahi said. “I always thought I was a defensive player. I always loved to hit people and not get hit. When I first came here, I thought I was going to be a safety, but God has plans for me, so why not?”

The early signing period had come and gone, and Vailahi said Tuesday that Idaho State was the only real interest he was getting. Then OSU offered him in January of his senior year. He took a visit, and then he committed to being a college running back.

Vailahi isn’t the only Salt Lake City native who has played running back in Stillwater. Just a few years before Vailahi got to town, Jaylen Warren played a big (massive) role in the Cowboys’ run to a Fiesta Bowl win during the 2021 season.

“Me and him being from the same neighborhood, him just coming out here, making a name for himself, from Utah,” Vailahi said. “Why not do the same thing, just keep representing Utah, same neighborhood. So yeah, he played a big part.”

In two seasons with the Cowboys to this point, Vailahi has taken 48 handoffs for 126 yards and two touchdowns, getting what he can while playing behind Doak Walker-winning rusher Ollie Gordon.

Vailahi’s bright moments as a true freshman in 2023 came in poor games for the Cowboys as a whole. OSU got ran out of Orlando 45-3 in a game where the Pokes mustered just 2.1 yards a carry. That game, though, featured the first carries of Vailahi’s college career in the fourth quarter, where he carried four times for 20 yards. He got to show his versatility in OSU’s Big 12 championship game against Texas, finishing with two carries for seven rushing yards and two catches for another dozen yards.

More often than not, Vailahi was the Cowboys’ RB2 in 2024, finishing with more carries and more catches than any other non-Gordon running back. Vailahi had 42 carries for 99 yards and two touchdowns while catching eight passes for 46 yards. He scored his first touchdown against Tulsa, taking a pitch from the 1-yard line. He found paydirt again against Arizona State, scoring from 11 yards out on a run that included a good, hard cut to get past a waiting safety.

The running back room (like many other position groups) is under new leadership entering 2025, with Mike Gundy bringing in Cory Patterson from Purdue.

“Man, I like Coach CP,” Vailahi said. “He’s outgoing. He’s funny. He’s just outrageous. He’s always joking. Always laughing. Always making us laugh. But when it’s time to practice, he locks in and really tells us, man this is no time to joke around. This is practice.”

With Gordon headed to the NFL, there is plenty of opportunity in the Cowboys’ backfield, and there are also plenty of viable options to try to help fill the void Gordon left. Vailahi, Trent Howland and Rodney Fields Jr. all return after contributing last season. The Cowboys also have OU transfer Kalib Hicks in this spring and will add Georgia State transfer Freddie Brock in the summer.

“The other guys, we’re all great running backs,” Vailahi said. “It’s not my choice. It’s up to Coach CP, the new running back coach. So whatever he sees, I’m going to rock with and just put my head down and keep working.”