Brothers appreciate each other as Beaver teammates

CORVALLIS — The Rodgers, James and Jacquizz, were as captivating a brother act as Oregon State has ever put on the gridiron.

As formidable pairs go, though, the Seumalos aren’t far behind.

Andrew Seumalo, 22, is a 6-3, 290-pound senior in his second year as a starting defensive tackle and serving as co-captain of the seventh-ranked Beavers (6-0 overall, 4-0 in Pac-12 play), who visit CenturyLink Field Saturday to play Washington (3-4, 1-3).

Then there is Isaac Seumalo, 19, a 6-4, 300-pound true freshman who moved into the starting lineup at center from the first day of training camp and has been a pillar in the middle for a much improved offensive line.

They’re the sons of Joe — in his seventh year as Oregon State’s defensive line coach — and Karen Seumalo, who has had little choice but to love the game of football.

The Seumalos’ only daughter, 17-year-old Jessi, is sandwiched between Andrew and Isaac and a pair of younger brothers, 14-year-old Noah and Levi, the latter a holy terror around the OSU practice fields at age 2 1/2.

Noah, a 5-11, 220-pound eighth-grade lineman, already is on the Beavers’ recruiting radar.

“He has some moves,” older brother Andrew says with a smile.

Isaac Seumalo, OSU radio analyst Jim Wilson says, “has to be one of the top five freshman impact players in the country this season.”

“I wouldn’t know about that,” OSU coach Mike Riley says, “but I’ll tell you what — he’s impacting the Beavers, for sure.”

Wilson, a starting offensive guard in 1981 before beginning a pro baseball career that took him to the major leagues, says Seumalo already is Oregon State’s top offensive lineman.

Mike Cavanaugh — who has coached offensive linemen at the college and NFL levels for 25 years — calls Seumalo the best he has had in his eight years at O-State. Even better than Andy Levitre, a starting guard with the Buffalo Bills, and in the discussion with Samson Fetele, starting center with the Indianapolis Colts, whom Cav coached at Hawaii.

“Not that ‘Veet’ wasn’t a leader, but this guy’s pretty special,” Cavanaugh says. “Like Samson, Isaac takes control.”

You can imagine it got a little physical in the Seumalo household as the brothers were growing up, Andrew four years older than Isaac.

“They have quite a few stories of one chasing the other,” Karen says with a nod. “I mean, of Isaac chasing Andrew. Isaac was built like a tree trunk from day one.”

Andrew, of slighter build, came to Oregon State at 220 pounds and grew into his body.

“Isaac was different than me,” Andrew says. “He has always been big and solid and all that good stuff.”

Any stories to pass on about the boys mixing it up?

“I don’t think Andrew would appreciate it,” his mother says.

If there was any rough stuff going on, their father wasn’t aware of it.

“It must have been when I wasn’t around,” Joe says.

Would they dared to do it when he was?

“Not even close,” he says.

The brothers are close now and seem to appreciate each other as a teammate.

“It helps a lot having an older brother in the program — a guy who is team captain, even,” Isaac says. “I’m thankful for him and my dad and being here. It’s been awesome.”

“Isaac is good to have around — no problems there,” Andrew says.

“They get along well,” Joe says. “They have two different personalities, but they complement each other.”

Andrew isn’t glib, but he’s a chatterbox compared to his brother.

“Isaac is extremely quiet,” Karen says. “I wouldn’t call it shy. He uses his words sparingly. He knows what he wants, but he’s not a talker.”

Says Andrew: “Isaac is generally quiet, but he’s a good-natured kid. He’s a nice guy once you get to know him.”

Karen is thankful Isaac had football to turn to as a youngster.

“He marched to a different drum when he was young,” she says. “He was going to be the leader of a jail gang or a leader of a good thing.”

Karen isn’t suggesting Isaac got into trouble with the law as a kid.

“He was just a strong-willed child who needed to be shaped and guided,” she says. “He always had a very focused, driven, disciplined personality. He was not a follower; he was a leader.”

The brothers couldn’t have taken more different paths to success at Oregon State.

Andrew walked on, redshirted his first year, gradually built up his body and moved up the depth chart, from scout team to backup to starter on the D-line. He finally earned a scholarship his junior year.

Isaac, a bona fide blue-chip recruit as a senior at Corvallis High, was offered by Southern Cal and could have written his ticket to any program in the country. A close relationship with Cavanaugh and the family ties convinced him to stay home, which he’d been figuring on all along.

“Isaac has been preparing for this since my dad got here,” Andrew says. “He has been around the program. He has been able to learn and grow and develop and hang out with Coach Cav. Nothing he’s done here has surprised me.”

Beginning with Oregon State’s opener against 13th-ranked Wisconsin, Seumalo has gone head-to-head with some of the nation’s top D-linemen, including Utah’s Star Lotulelei, a senior Riley predicts will go in the first round of the NFL draft next April.

“What a job Isaac did against that guy,” OSU tailback Storm Woods said after the Beavers’ win over the Utes. “He showed me he is something special. He didn’t play like a freshman. He never plays like a freshman.”

Quite the opposite, actually.

“Isaac has been a leader,” Cavanaugh says. “He has raised the bar for us in a lot of ways. His passion shows every day. It’s rubbed off on the other (O-linemen).

“He plays physical, he finishes blocks, he has been real good on his (line) calls. It’s been awesome to see.”

Adds Riley: “He is beyond his years as far as knowledge and what to do and leadership. I’m not sure I’ve ever had an offensive lineman quite like him.”

Not bad for a kid who played guard and tackle in high school, but not center.

“Isaac has made tremendous progress for a kid who had never played that position,” his father says.

Seumalo is unusually big and strong for an 18-year-old, but his savvy is as important as anything.

“Every single guy you go against in college is just as strong, just as fast, just as athletic as you,” Isaac says. “What it comes down to is how smart you can be out there, especially at center, and how unconscious my technique can become. Can I do it without having to think about it?”

Joe Seumalo says having sons on the team has altered the way he has coached his defensive linemen. He implies he has not been quite so vocal with his criticisms.

“It’s been real good in terms of making sure I say and do the right things,” he says. “Sometimes kids listen better when you’re talking and not yelling and screaming.

“It’s a little bit of them, and also that we have a veteran group (on the D-line). They can do the yelling. They yell at each other. They’ve taken ownership of it.”

Isaac chuckles when asked if he ever expects to lose a game during his college career.

“I’ve been asked that before, believe it or not,” he says. “You go into games expecting to win, so I can’t really say whether I will or won’t. Right now, I just want to beat Washington.”

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Twitter: @kerryeggers