Max Borghi was born to play football. Anybody might jump to that conclusion watching Washington State’s true freshman move up and down the field with a leather ball tucked between his arms. Already this season, Borghi’s thundering runs have netted the Cougars six touchdowns on the ground, while his soft hands have been responsible for another three through the air. Everything Borghi does on a football field seems to comes second-nature — like it was passed down from somebody with the same last name. 

If Borghi told you he was a third- or fourth-generation running back, you’d have no choice but to believe it — and yet it wouldn’t be any further from the truth. Max Borghi, born Massimiliano Borghi, is the son an Italian immigrant who spent his childhood kicking a soccer ball through the streets of Varese, a northern suburb of Milan.