Cheating? Maybe a little. Smiling? Definitely a lot.

Ego wouldn't let him, though, even as a who's-who list of college football programs visited the San Diego area to recruit him and attempt to convince the tight end standout that his future was on defense.

"Of all the schools, only three -- BYU, Nebraska and Arizona -- wanted me to play tight end," So'oto said. "The rest wanted me to play defensive end or linebacker."

It took So'oto two years of dreading practices to realize he was missing his calling.

"New life," he said with the wide smile on his face that teammates and coaches have become accustomed to since this decision was made during the spring. "Born again."

So'oto will be one of the most fascinating case studies for the Cougars all season.

In fall camp, he knows the offense, of course, so he has just about every advantage to be hoped for.

Opinions are mixed on how much that matters, either to the team's development or So'oto's.

Head coach Bronco Mendenhall is just happy to see the junior walking around with a different bounce to his step. So'oto will be the first to say he dreaded conditioning. And that made him hate practice, because he was too winded to succeed.

Quarterback Max Hall jokes that So'oto "cheats all the time. He knows the offense, he knows the snap counts ..."

Then Hall says it's not a big deal, because the offense can do things to throw even So'oto off the scent.

He caught 12 passes last year though it became increasingly clear last season that Dennis PItta was Hall's favorite target aside from receiver Austin Collie.

Now, a ball never gets thrown his way. So'oto said he's "way past" trying to chase the glory of being a BYU tight end, which played a factor in becoming a Cougar and initially scoffing at the idea of playing D.

But never being challenged with a pass his way, except once during the spring in a scrimmage? BYU's offense appears to be treating So'oto like a veteran. Even Saturday, the first practice leading up to the Aug. 30 opener against Northern Iowa, Hall conceded that So'oto was a little too quick to handle.

It brings up a couple of questions: First, could So'oto just be this good?

But won't opposing teams view him as a rookie, and make him prove his ability?

"I think Vic has done a good job staying honest, and not anticipating too much," Pitta said. "He could do that all day, but then he wouldn't get better. I think he's done a good job of managing that, working on his instincts."

So'oto is in a unique spot. You could say he's frittered away two years. That's weighed on him.

"I can see the light at the end of the tunnel," So'oto said of his career that's halfway done. "That's good and bad. The good thing is, I'm re-energized. It's a bad thing because I've started so late enjoying practice, not dreading it."

So'oto's story could take him from being one of the Mountain West Conference's mostly highly sought-after recruits turning into one of its best players in a wholly different spot. He looks natural at outside linebacker.

On Saturday he roams the field with the look of a lion, and what he's attacking doesn't seem nearly as fast. He likes to jaw a little, too. A former offensive teammate gives a little shove to a defensive player in one drill. "Ah, we've got a tough guy over there," So'oto chortles from the sidelines.

Yes, it's a good life right now.

He said workouts are the same as before, though his group partners have changed and he's put on 10 pounds.

And So'oto puts on a smile fit for a toothpaste commercial when talking about why he has so much zeal.

"The violence," he said, recalling his high school days of hitting on defense. "I missed it."

He's a two-way standout, and not just because of the switch.

So'oto has the carefree, excited bounce of a freshman and the smile of a guy who's been around long enough to know what's going on.

• Jason Franchuk can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it