Vesterinen prioritizing unique football skills in new home

When coming over from Finland, defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen noticed the clear differences in American culture. But he has now also taken a huge leap in an underdeveloped area of his football skills this season.

Playing football back home was different for Vesterinen, because the opposition on the offensive line were both slower and had less refined in the technique department.

He's recognized the monumental changes here in the United States, playing college football against lineman that are quicker and are better blockers, but you can't say it's held him back.

Last season, Versterinen's stat line was modest at best, but his time on the field was extremely limited all season, in his defense. He accumulated 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and 2.5 tackles for loss in 242 defensive plays.

But in this season's fall camp, he has honed in on something cerebral and has gained knowledge and skills that are outside of one's physical ability and speed. Now Vesterinen, nicknamed Eddie, can analyze the alignments and stance of each offensive lineman he faces.

"How wide are the splits, how far is he from the center, how much weight does he put on his hands, where are his eyes and where does he look. Trying to find the different keys to tell me this might be a pass key if I see him do this or this might be heavy run if I see him do this," Vesterinen said.

And even though playing American football at the highest level in Big 12 Conference level is a big contrast from what Vesterinen competed against in Finland, it's helped him further cultivate his skill set.

"This is what I’ve been waiting for, this is a big year for me. I’ve been trying to be consistent and be more of a leader for the defensive line unit. I put everything into it," Vesterinen said.

It goes further than just the personal aspects he's had to change as well.

He's also adapted to a new way of life, making the United States and West Virginia his new home. The cultural differences trickle all the way down to conversations he has with people here and this has plunged Vesterinen into some new experiences, ones that are foreign to him in Finland.

"America has been very welcoming to me. As soon as I got here the coaches told me to reach out if I needed help. It’s hard to explain how different it is. Back home, the small talk is not very good, especially with strangers. It’s been very nice. I’ve got to see a lot of America and I like it so far," Vesterinen said.

When it comes down to playing the game of football, motivation to continue to get better doesn't only come intrinsically for Vesterinen, it also stems from the sacrifices he's made and the people, culture and country that he represents.

"I feel like I represent my country, my people and I want people to have good expectations for Finnish people. I wouldn’t say a lot because not many people know about football back home. The people that grew up around playing football they mean a lot to me and I respect them," Vesterinen said.

"That comes from my purpose. I’m a long way from home. Why would I come here and half ass something if I’ve already given so much for this?" Vesterinen said.

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