Ako Poti didn't want his son to go that far, not to Penn State.

A California native, the younger Ako Poti was prepared to be a rare breed on the Nittany Lion football team -- a junior college transfer.

"I said, 'They're not necessarily looking for any guy to come in and play right away,' " the elder Poti said. "He mentioned to me, he goes, 'Dad I want to go somewhere where I have to earn it.' "

"I said, 'Well, if you know the tradition of Penn State, you're definitely going to have to earn it. You're not just going to walk right in on a coach like [Joe] Paterno, say, 'OK, I've got all this talent, now play me.' He goes, 'No Dad, I understand.' "

Poti, who was a reserve in 2007 before redshirting last season, has been the starting right tackle in recent weeks for an improving Penn State offensive line.

The City College of San Francisco transfer had offers to start elsewhere, his father said, but it was the uphill climb that was necessary to find playing time that combined with the facilities, academics and coaching staff to make Penn State the perfect destination.

"I had to work harder to play than I ever had to before, which makes it a whole lot better when I finally get it," Poti said.

Although Poti said one should practice hard all the time, he admitted as soon as he saw he had an opportunity to start, something clicked.

Poti hasn't yet relinquished his starting spot and quarterback Daryll Clark said last week that he thinks the lineman has been pretty consistent.

The 6-foot-4, 306 pound tackle had a big assignment a few weeks ago when he faced Michigan's Brandon Graham, one of the top defensive ends in the nation.

"After I gave up the sack, I told [Clark], 'Hey, I apologize,' " Poti said. "He said, 'Hey, you know what, I'm standing, I'm good. Don't worry about it.' "

Such situations seem to be rare instances when Poti expresses himself verbally.

His father, who said his son didn't become the player he is now until junior college, has always considered Poti to be a quiet guy. Instead, he is more of a leader by example. He would be the first one in and last one out for workouts, Poti's father said.

His teammates have also noticed how Poti doesn't rely on words to make an impact.

"He just keeps getting better," running back Evan Royster said. "I'd say he's definitely a leader by example. He kind of motivates everybody else to get better themselves."

Poti joined up with Nerraw McCormack as the first junior college players to join Penn State since Mike Alexander in 1985.

Both Poti and McCormack were brought on to add depth to the offensive line.

"You've got to get a kid that's a good fit for us," Paterno said. "We're not looking for guys that are jumping into junior colleges just because they want to stay eligible in order to get themselves ready for pro football. We've got to look for kids who want to come and go to class and do a good job and Poti and McCormack have both done a good job in those areas."

Ironically, a McCormack injury helped Poti to start for the first time. Despite this, Poti said the two are good friends and that they tell each other when they do something wrong and what they need to improve on while also congratulating each other when the other makes a good play.

As for finding out about his first time starting, the tackle remembers coach Bill Kenney being the one to tell him he would be the first right tackle for the week. Despite the accomplishment, Poti said he wasn't overly excited about it.

Still, he has remained the No. 1 option at right tackle.

The tackle continues to ask linemates Dennis Landolt and Stefen Wisniewski questions, adding that he's constantly picking their brains.

When it comes to realizing what he's accomplished at Penn State, it seems Poti sometimes has trouble believing it.

"Oh my God, it's been great for me," Poti said. "After going through all the years of training and whatnot, to finally get a chance to play and play fairly well. I'm a little hard on myself on that aspect, but it's great to go out to finally get to play."

Despite the thousands of miles separating Poti from his father, the elder Poti always finds time to watch Penn State games.

In fact, Poti's father said he gets more of a kick out of watching his son's games on TV because he gets better angles. The elder Poti has gone to the Alamo Bowl and Rose Bowl when Penn State played in the two postseason bowls, but he has yet to watch his son play live as a Lion. Of course, he catches a break with all the televised games.

As such, Poti's father, a coach of Jefferson High School where his son went, gets to critique how Poti plays when watching games on TV and talks with him after games.

" 'Was that you or was that the guard next to you?' " Poti's father remembers asking. "He goes, 'No, no, Dad, that was me.' I said, 'OK.' "

Despite offering his advice, the coach doesn't want to take away from the Lions' coaches.

"They've done a great job without me," the elder Poti said with a laugh.