Cal Football

2021 Cal OLB Signee Patrick Hisatake: Why I Chose Cal

By Patrick Hisatake

January 11, 2021

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My name is Patrick Hisatake‍ and I’m a signee for the 2021 class who will be enrolling at Cal this spring semester.

I was born in American Samoa and raised in Hawaii, where I lived for 15 years and consider it my home.

In 2018, my family and I decided to move to Oregon and graduated from Westview High School. I live with my parents, my two sisters and my grandma.

I started playing tackle football in 5th grade as an outlet for my restlessness. My dad played high school ball and later coached youth football in Hawaii, so football is a big part of our family. I played rugby for one season, which was great but not the same as football was and is for me.

I love being part of a team, and the competitiveness involved in football. The bonds you build with your team and the feeling you get from a great play or a win is pretty amazing. My favorite sports memories include playing with my youth football team every Saturday and winning the JV state championship my freshman year at Mililani High School.

The coaches and staff at Cal were a huge factor in my decision to go to there. They were supportive, in constant contact, and made me feel like family. I really built a good relationship with them and felt like I would fit in well with their program.

I had a feeling pretty early on this past summer that Cal would be my choice, but wanted to do my research because I wanted to be 100% sure I was making the right move.

I’m really looking forward to learning and growing, both on and off the field at Cal. I really want to continue to develop as a football player and earn an opportunity to play, while getting a degree at one of the most top-notch educational institutions in the PAC-12. I’d like to pursue Business or Finance at Cal. I’m interested in learning about how to start and grow a business and to manage money well.

It is my dream to do well enough at Cal as an athlete to earn an opportunity to play football at the next level, but also understand the importance of getting an education, as well.

My main motivators in life are God, Family and Football. I feel truly blessed to have been given an opportunity to go to college and to play a sport I truly love, and I really believe my faith and prayers helped me get there. My family - nuclear and extended - have always supported me, pushed me and motivated me to want more for myself and to do better. And football is a passion. There is nothing better, and no other feeling like going out and playing this sport.

Go Bears!