Kansas State University Athletics
A Bittersweet Feeling
Nov 26, 2025 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
They stand at nearly opposite ends of the room at the Vanier Family Football Complex on Monday and truthfully, it's probably among the farthest they've been apart over these four years together. There's Damian Ilalio. That's Uso Seumalo. Two of the biggest guys on the Kansas State football team. Always next to each other in defensive tackle position meetings. Always together inside the locker room.
"I'm going to miss it a lot," Ilalio says. "I've been here a long, long time, so it's been a really big part of my life. I'll be forever grateful."
Across the room, Seumalo says, "It's about everything we've been through. Being with the guys the past four years is probably the best four years of my life."
Ilalio and Seumalo have played 89 games between them. They've combined for 38 career starts. They've made 117 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, they've batted five passes, and they've forced one fumble and have recovered two more.
Shortly before 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Ilalio in his purple No. 56 uniform and Seumalo in his No. 99, will be formally introduced in front of their family and friends and fans at a sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium prior to facing Colorado. It'll be Senior Day — a hug from head coach Chris Klieman, then a trot down the field with a bouquet of flowers for their families. So many thoughts tend to hit seniors right at this time, between the hug with coach and the flower delivery to the parents.
Wanna know what Ilalio and Seumalo will be thinking about?
"I'll be preparing to win this football game," Ilalio says.
"It's bittersweet getting to play football one last time in The Bill," Seumalo says. "It's sad, because you know it's your last time. It's exciting, but sad at the same time."
Seumalo is a native of Maunaloa, Moloka'i, a tiny plantation village up in the hills and above the western coast near two beaches. The son of a farmer, he worked the farm that produced coconut, ulu, bananas, taro and kalo. It's a paradise with lush, green fields, so far away. Seumalo has big hair, a big heart, and a big appetite for tackling opposing players.
What does Klieman think about when he thinks of Seumalo?
"That smile," Klieman says. "That kid loves to play football, and he's a really good football player."
Seumalo talks about his senior year at Moloka'i High School, how he begged his parents, Vaai and Naomi, to let him play football. All of his friends played football. Volleyball was his first love. Then basketball. He earned honorable mention all-state honors in both sports. Seumalo was the biggest kid. Figures that he'd also strap on a helmet.
Except there's more to the journey. Moloka'i High School played eight-man football. They played their football games on a green field with painted white lines, first-down markers, and a scoreboard with red numerals that sat on the ground. People sat in lawn chairs. Some lounged under tents. But there were cheers, big cheers whenever Seumalo touched the football. He played some quarterback and tight end in addition to being a disruptive defensive standout.
One day, he received a phone call from K-State defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo. He asked Seumalo why nobody was recruiting him.
"Coach," Seumalo said, "I don't know how to play real football. I'm just out there playing."
Seumalo ended up traveling to Garden City Community College. There he would learn 11-man football. There he would listen and learn and become a defensive tackle. And he did. He became better. A lot better. He was rated the 31st-best overall community-college prospect in the Class of 2022 and the second-best at defensive tackle by ESPN. He had 47 tackles and five sacks over his two seasons with the Broncbusters.
Seumalo and Tuiasosopo stayed in touch. K-State offered him a scholarship in August 2021. He also received offers from UNLV, Jackson State, Akron and Incarnate Word.
"Uso wasn't a starter at Garden City, and I'm sure people thought we were crazy in talking to a guy who wasn't even a starter," Tuiasosopo, "but I watched Uso in high school and he had unbelievable tape."
K-State director of recruiting Taylor Braet and the coaching staff welcomed Seumalo to Manhattan.
Seumalo committed to K-State in November 2021.
"I've learned discipline," Seumalo says, reflecting on his K-State journey. "One of our core values they instilled in us to make sure we do the things we need to do them and do them the right way. Man, it sucks talking about it and feeling this way because it's your last time, but discipline is one of the biggest things I've learned to grow within myself."
Ilalio is a large man with a large heart. The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder was on the watch lists for the Wuerffel Trophy and the Polynesian College Player of the Year Award. He's started in 26-straight games, which ranks second on the team and has posted multiple tackles in seven games this season. He also has 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in his career, which are the most since his big brother, Eli Huggins, between 2018 and 2022.
As Klieman puts it: "He kind of embodies what K-State football is."
There's more to the story, of course. And perhaps the beginning is an appropriate place to start, back when Ilalio moved from the state of Washington to Manhattan — his father was stationed at Fort Riley — and his love for football began his freshman year at Manhattan High School.
"Honestly, I wasn't very big into college football until I moved here," Ilalio says. "Then being in Manhattan, the best college town in the nation, I saw everybody's love for Kansas State. My love and passion for the sport started to grow. It became more personal when the town I was living in was so invested in the program."
A two-time league wrestling champion, Ilalio also turned heads on the football field with the Indians with 129 tackles, 35.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and five fumble recoveries during his junior and senior seasons. He was regarded as the sixth-best prospect in the state of Kansas for the Class of 201 and earned 2020 Kansas 6A Defensive Player of the Year.
He also received just one single scholarship offer from a Power 4 school. It was from the school in his own backyard.
"I'm thankful for K-State and the staff giving me a chance," Ilalio says. "I wasn't very heavily recruited, was overlooked a lot, and having the chance to come here was such an opportunity. I'm glad I was able to make the most of it. I'm still continuing to work on that and make everybody proud."
He has countless avid supporters.
"Boy, he gets off blocks," Klieman says. "He's disruptive. You're not moving him. He's going to anchor down on double teams and you're not moving him. He gets off blocks and is disruptive and makes plays."
As Ilalio and Seumalo stand inside the same room at the Vanier Family Football Complex for some final words, some final interviews, some final laughs, and some final reflection, each player thinks back to the most memorable sequence of plays in the most memorable game of their careers: The 2022 Big 12 Championship Game.
K-State and No. 3 TCU were tied 28-28. TCU had the first possession in overtime. The Horned Frogs had the ball inside the 1-yard line. It was third down.
"I got out there and the first thing (senior defensive tackle) Eli Huggins told me was, 'I need you right now,'" Seumalo recalls. "To look up to someone like Eli, that moment, you flip a switch. It's like, you got to do it. You got to put everything on the line. Being able to be a part of that was something that was big for me and I was super proud of that."
On third down, K-State's defensive interior stuffed TCU running back Kendre Miller, who became a third-round pick to the New Orleans Saints. But Seumalo went down with an injury.
"I was on the sideline and watched the play, and Uso got hurt," Ilalio says. "Uso walked off the field. I hadn't played a snap, so I got warmed up, and I tried getting into the mindset of, 'Dang, I might be in.' Coach Tui was looking for me and he said, 'Do you want to be at the 3-tech or the nose?' Before I could speak, the whistle blew, and we were onto the next play.
"I was at nose and Eli came over and said, 'I need everything you've got, everything from the whole season and offseason, I need you to pour it all out on this one play.' So, I was like, 'OK, I got you.' It was really loud for a second. Then the noise faded out, and I could only see the ball. I watched the ball. I thought they were going to do a QB sneak because they were only one yard off and there was a freshman — me — right in front of the starting center. I did what we're taught, which is the sub-charge, and run through the legs of the offensive lineman."
Ilalio serves up his contagious chuckle. He was in the middle of the most important goal-line stand in the history of K-State football. Kendre Miller had no chance at sneaking the ball into the end zone. Ilalio and Huggins and linebacker Daniel Green were among the heroes on that fateful play in the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game.
"They ran their zone play, and I tripped some people up and was able to do what I did," Ilalio continues. "I didn't do what I was supposed to do, but I was effective. I didn't know it was a fourth down. I thought it was third down. I was so discombobulated. Everybody was celebrating and I tried to figure out the next play. Everyone was like, 'You did it! You did it!' I said, 'Don't we have another play?' They said, 'No, it was fourth down!'"
A few moments later, Ty Zentner trotted onto the field with his now-famous smile and kicked a 31-yard field goal to give K-State the 31-28 win and its first league title since 2012.
Game over.
"We stopped them, we won," Seumalo says. "That's probably my favorite moment."
Ilalio says, "I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. I mean, every single detail of it will be engrained in my memory."
Ilalio and Seumalo would like to make another memory on Saturday — one final win at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
That would mean Ilalio and Seumalo have been on a bowl team every year of their careers at K-State.
A great feat. And another chapter to a special senior story.
They stand at nearly opposite ends of the room at the Vanier Family Football Complex on Monday and truthfully, it's probably among the farthest they've been apart over these four years together. There's Damian Ilalio. That's Uso Seumalo. Two of the biggest guys on the Kansas State football team. Always next to each other in defensive tackle position meetings. Always together inside the locker room.
"I'm going to miss it a lot," Ilalio says. "I've been here a long, long time, so it's been a really big part of my life. I'll be forever grateful."
Across the room, Seumalo says, "It's about everything we've been through. Being with the guys the past four years is probably the best four years of my life."
Ilalio and Seumalo have played 89 games between them. They've combined for 38 career starts. They've made 117 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, they've batted five passes, and they've forced one fumble and have recovered two more.
Shortly before 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, Ilalio in his purple No. 56 uniform and Seumalo in his No. 99, will be formally introduced in front of their family and friends and fans at a sold-out Bill Snyder Family Stadium prior to facing Colorado. It'll be Senior Day — a hug from head coach Chris Klieman, then a trot down the field with a bouquet of flowers for their families. So many thoughts tend to hit seniors right at this time, between the hug with coach and the flower delivery to the parents.
Wanna know what Ilalio and Seumalo will be thinking about?
"I'll be preparing to win this football game," Ilalio says.
"It's bittersweet getting to play football one last time in The Bill," Seumalo says. "It's sad, because you know it's your last time. It's exciting, but sad at the same time."
Seumalo is a native of Maunaloa, Moloka'i, a tiny plantation village up in the hills and above the western coast near two beaches. The son of a farmer, he worked the farm that produced coconut, ulu, bananas, taro and kalo. It's a paradise with lush, green fields, so far away. Seumalo has big hair, a big heart, and a big appetite for tackling opposing players.
What does Klieman think about when he thinks of Seumalo?
"That smile," Klieman says. "That kid loves to play football, and he's a really good football player."
Seumalo talks about his senior year at Moloka'i High School, how he begged his parents, Vaai and Naomi, to let him play football. All of his friends played football. Volleyball was his first love. Then basketball. He earned honorable mention all-state honors in both sports. Seumalo was the biggest kid. Figures that he'd also strap on a helmet.
Except there's more to the journey. Moloka'i High School played eight-man football. They played their football games on a green field with painted white lines, first-down markers, and a scoreboard with red numerals that sat on the ground. People sat in lawn chairs. Some lounged under tents. But there were cheers, big cheers whenever Seumalo touched the football. He played some quarterback and tight end in addition to being a disruptive defensive standout.
One day, he received a phone call from K-State defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo. He asked Seumalo why nobody was recruiting him.
"Coach," Seumalo said, "I don't know how to play real football. I'm just out there playing."
Seumalo ended up traveling to Garden City Community College. There he would learn 11-man football. There he would listen and learn and become a defensive tackle. And he did. He became better. A lot better. He was rated the 31st-best overall community-college prospect in the Class of 2022 and the second-best at defensive tackle by ESPN. He had 47 tackles and five sacks over his two seasons with the Broncbusters.
Seumalo and Tuiasosopo stayed in touch. K-State offered him a scholarship in August 2021. He also received offers from UNLV, Jackson State, Akron and Incarnate Word.
"Uso wasn't a starter at Garden City, and I'm sure people thought we were crazy in talking to a guy who wasn't even a starter," Tuiasosopo, "but I watched Uso in high school and he had unbelievable tape."
K-State director of recruiting Taylor Braet and the coaching staff welcomed Seumalo to Manhattan.
Seumalo committed to K-State in November 2021.
"I've learned discipline," Seumalo says, reflecting on his K-State journey. "One of our core values they instilled in us to make sure we do the things we need to do them and do them the right way. Man, it sucks talking about it and feeling this way because it's your last time, but discipline is one of the biggest things I've learned to grow within myself."
Ilalio is a large man with a large heart. The 6-foot-2, 300-pounder was on the watch lists for the Wuerffel Trophy and the Polynesian College Player of the Year Award. He's started in 26-straight games, which ranks second on the team and has posted multiple tackles in seven games this season. He also has 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks in his career, which are the most since his big brother, Eli Huggins, between 2018 and 2022.
As Klieman puts it: "He kind of embodies what K-State football is."
There's more to the story, of course. And perhaps the beginning is an appropriate place to start, back when Ilalio moved from the state of Washington to Manhattan — his father was stationed at Fort Riley — and his love for football began his freshman year at Manhattan High School.
"Honestly, I wasn't very big into college football until I moved here," Ilalio says. "Then being in Manhattan, the best college town in the nation, I saw everybody's love for Kansas State. My love and passion for the sport started to grow. It became more personal when the town I was living in was so invested in the program."
A two-time league wrestling champion, Ilalio also turned heads on the football field with the Indians with 129 tackles, 35.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and five fumble recoveries during his junior and senior seasons. He was regarded as the sixth-best prospect in the state of Kansas for the Class of 201 and earned 2020 Kansas 6A Defensive Player of the Year.
He also received just one single scholarship offer from a Power 4 school. It was from the school in his own backyard.
"I'm thankful for K-State and the staff giving me a chance," Ilalio says. "I wasn't very heavily recruited, was overlooked a lot, and having the chance to come here was such an opportunity. I'm glad I was able to make the most of it. I'm still continuing to work on that and make everybody proud."
He has countless avid supporters.
"Boy, he gets off blocks," Klieman says. "He's disruptive. You're not moving him. He's going to anchor down on double teams and you're not moving him. He gets off blocks and is disruptive and makes plays."
As Ilalio and Seumalo stand inside the same room at the Vanier Family Football Complex for some final words, some final interviews, some final laughs, and some final reflection, each player thinks back to the most memorable sequence of plays in the most memorable game of their careers: The 2022 Big 12 Championship Game.
K-State and No. 3 TCU were tied 28-28. TCU had the first possession in overtime. The Horned Frogs had the ball inside the 1-yard line. It was third down.
"I got out there and the first thing (senior defensive tackle) Eli Huggins told me was, 'I need you right now,'" Seumalo recalls. "To look up to someone like Eli, that moment, you flip a switch. It's like, you got to do it. You got to put everything on the line. Being able to be a part of that was something that was big for me and I was super proud of that."
On third down, K-State's defensive interior stuffed TCU running back Kendre Miller, who became a third-round pick to the New Orleans Saints. But Seumalo went down with an injury.
"I was on the sideline and watched the play, and Uso got hurt," Ilalio says. "Uso walked off the field. I hadn't played a snap, so I got warmed up, and I tried getting into the mindset of, 'Dang, I might be in.' Coach Tui was looking for me and he said, 'Do you want to be at the 3-tech or the nose?' Before I could speak, the whistle blew, and we were onto the next play.
"I was at nose and Eli came over and said, 'I need everything you've got, everything from the whole season and offseason, I need you to pour it all out on this one play.' So, I was like, 'OK, I got you.' It was really loud for a second. Then the noise faded out, and I could only see the ball. I watched the ball. I thought they were going to do a QB sneak because they were only one yard off and there was a freshman — me — right in front of the starting center. I did what we're taught, which is the sub-charge, and run through the legs of the offensive lineman."
Ilalio serves up his contagious chuckle. He was in the middle of the most important goal-line stand in the history of K-State football. Kendre Miller had no chance at sneaking the ball into the end zone. Ilalio and Huggins and linebacker Daniel Green were among the heroes on that fateful play in the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game.
"They ran their zone play, and I tripped some people up and was able to do what I did," Ilalio continues. "I didn't do what I was supposed to do, but I was effective. I didn't know it was a fourth down. I thought it was third down. I was so discombobulated. Everybody was celebrating and I tried to figure out the next play. Everyone was like, 'You did it! You did it!' I said, 'Don't we have another play?' They said, 'No, it was fourth down!'"
A few moments later, Ty Zentner trotted onto the field with his now-famous smile and kicked a 31-yard field goal to give K-State the 31-28 win and its first league title since 2012.
Game over.
"We stopped them, we won," Seumalo says. "That's probably my favorite moment."
Ilalio says, "I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. I mean, every single detail of it will be engrained in my memory."
Ilalio and Seumalo would like to make another memory on Saturday — one final win at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.
That would mean Ilalio and Seumalo have been on a bowl team every year of their careers at K-State.
A great feat. And another chapter to a special senior story.
Players Mentioned
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