Here's how Colorado State football found Japanese sumo wrestler Hidetora Hanada

Colorado State has gone worldwide in building its football roster.

The latest addition to the Rams is a star sumo wrestler from Japan who CSU coaches found via football camps in Canada.

Seriously.

Hidetora Hanada announced this week his commitment to CSU, and he’ll join the Rams as a defensive lineman this fall.

College football is full of wild recruiting stories, but this is right up there with the best of them.

Hanada was an all-world sumo wrestler, winning the all-Japan title in 2020 and gold in the 2022 World Games open-weight division. He is also an amateur Yokozuna in sumo, the highest rank in the sport.

He first played football in March 2022 and made the country’s national team, according to The Japan Times.

Hanada participated in a CFL tryout in Canada recently, and that’s where he caught the eye of CSU defensive line coach Buddha Williams.

“We’re really excited about seeing him play. Really unusual how we got him,” CSU coach Jay Norvell said Thursday at Mountain West media days.

Hanada showed enough of the skillset for CSU to take a chance on the 21-year-old, who has two years of eligibility to play.

“I’m as excited and anxious to see him as everyone. He’s got all the qualities that you look for,” Norvell said. “The leverage that you learn from wrestling and being able to control body weight and those hand-to-hand combats are huge. He can do that. I’ve seen him do it. We’re just excited to have him.”

It’s already made a huge impression. Hanada's tweet announcing his commitment has nearly 400,000 impressions. A tweet from Inside Sport Japan has nearly 700,000 impressions.

“The opportunity came about because I was able to participate in the CFL combine,” Hanada told reporters in Japan.

“I’m aware that I’ll have to give it my all to succeed. I’m more excited than nervous about the fact that I’ll have to learn how to survive and continue to aim for the NFL in a football program where I’ll be the only Japanese player and surrounded by those speaking a different language.”

His journey will be watched worldwide.

“He’ll be a fun story to watch,” Norvell said.

CSU Global, football version

Hanada is the latest addition to an increasing worldwide feel to the Rams football roster.

The Rams now have a defensive lineman (Hanada) from Japan, a punter (Paddy Turner) from Australia, a kicker (Jordan Noyes) from England, an offensive lineman (Moritz Oberhofer) from Germany and a defensive lineman (Nuer Gatkuoth) from Canada. Gatkuoth and Buom Jock’s families are both from South Sudan.

“We have 114 kids from all different backgrounds, races, religions, countries, and when you get all those guys together all pulling in the same direction, it’s pretty special,” Norvell said. “I love having that diversity.”

Players like them joining CSU slowly spreads the word about the school and the sport.

“College as a whole is growing. I think you’re seeing it with CSU this year. We’ve got an Australian, American, German, Japanese, Canadian. It’s growing bigger and bigger. Who knows, you might have an America vs. The World all-star game in a couple of years,” Turner said.

“If I went home five years ago and said ‘I’m going to Colorado State,” no one would have known," he said. "Now there’s Tory Horton jerseys. There’s Mo Kamara jerseys. There’s a few of my jerseys running around my hometown. I get photos of people watching games at 3 a.m. It’s definitely getting bigger and bigger.”

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on Twitter and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: How Colorado State football found sumo wrestler Hidetora Hanada