Wednesday was National Signing Day, where high school football seniors would sign their letter of intent to go play collegiate football for the school they verbally committed to. For San Pedro High football senior offensive lineman Dominic O'Brien, the time was right.

O'Brien, the 2014 San Pedro News Pilot Lineman Of The Year, three-time All-Marine League and two-time All-CIF Los Angeles City Section selection, would sign his national letter of intent to play football at Southern Utah University during lunch at San Pedro High School.

The ceremony was immaculate, as O'Brien was surrounded by his family, football coaches and teammates, and a host of his friends and administrators all cheering for him before and after he signed on the dotted line and donned his Southern Utah cap.

"Playing Division I football and getting a great education has always been my goal ever since I was little," says O'Brien, who carries a 3.6 GPA. "Southern Utah offered all of that."

In the 2014 season at San Pedro, O'Brien had 32 pancake blocks, leading an experienced offensive line that helped San Pedro set a school record for rushing yards in a season with 3,299, a total of 205 first downs, 4,779 total yards of offense (second all-time in school history) and 61 touchdowns.

Overall, Southern Utah, an NCAA Division I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) team that competes in the Big Sky Conference,went 3-9 last season. O'Brien had one other offer from Western New Mexico, but the Thunderbirds up the big winner the moment O'Brien visited the campus last Saturday.

"The second I walked on the campus, I knew this was the place for me," O'Brien recalls. "They showed me around the school, and the facilities were all very nice. After the visit, I went out with the team and they all treated me like family."

O'Brien is the third San Pedro Prep Sports student athlete to sign with a college, joining Mary Star's Marina Vitalich (George Mason) and Port Of Los Angeles' Nicolle Miranda (Eastern Michigan), two amazing softball pitchers who had their dual signing day ceremonies this past November.