Donald De La La Haye, more commonly known as Deestroying online, is a YouTuber born in Costa Rica, who immigrated to the United States at age 7 with his family. He first garnered attention for his impressive kicking ability showcased in his many football-related YouTube videos.
However, he soon became better known for his vlogs and skits, which often talk about his life journey and experiences as a student-athlete at the University of Central Florida. De La Haye was also a 5-star recruit coming out of high school, so he has many exciting stories!
FaZe Clan Newest Official Member
A week ago, FaZe Clan announced Donald De La Haye Jr., aka “Deestroying,” as their newest member. Deestroying has joined FaZe Clan, a group of gamers, creators, and entertainers.
They announced the news on their social media channels with a mini-documentary about Deestroying’s journey from college athlete to celebrity content creator. He has a combined social reach of over 10 million people across different platforms.
Deestroying’s personality and content, which is centered around sports, caught the attention of FaZe Clan. This includes physical feats, personal vlogs, and 1ON1s with some of the biggest names in sports.
Deestroying’s journey to stardom is remarkable. De La Haye excelled in athletics and academics after his family moved from Costa Rica to Florida when he was just a child. He eventually received a full scholarship to play football as a kicker at the University of Central Florida, but his real passion was always video creation.
There, he started making videos that gained him fame quickly. This has encouraged other young athletes to look for different ways to succeed and have financial stability.
The Ultimatum: Picking the Best Decision
In an interview, Deestroying explained his decision to join FaZe Clan to continue content creation through his Youtube channel over college football and eventually playing in the NFL.
“So it was honestly scary especially having to make a decision. As you guys may know, but a lot of the audience doesn’t know, I was given an ultimatum I’d have to pick my YouTube channel and become ineligible or pick my scholarship and delete my YouTube donate all my money back that I made, which wasn’t really a lot at the time.”
FaZe Deestroying
As a student-athlete, he was not allowed to profit from his YouTube videos due to NCAA rules. However, after consulting with lawyers and others, he decided it was best to pursue his YouTube career full-time and join FaZe Clan.
“But, you know, it is scary as a 19-20-year-old… like this is the biggest decision of your life. I love the content creation; it was fun for me. It was something I kind of grew up doing because I was like 12, so it was kind of built in me.”
He is currently pursuing his dream and is an official member of FaZe Clan. This will allow him to continue doing what he loves, which is creating content.
“Still, at the same time, I had this NFL dream of playing at the next level. Obviously, the path to that is going to college, so it was scary as you see how I ended up picking Youtube,” FaZe Deestroying said. “I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and it trailblazed the path for a lot of younger athletes in my generation.”
Many young athletes look up to Deestroying because he can balance academics, athletics, and content creation.
He is also an excellent role model for other young people who want to pursue their dreams.
Deestroying’s story is one of hard work and determination. He has overcome many obstacles and achieved success at a young age. His story is an inspiration to many people, especially young athletes.
