Just like that, Tevarua Tafiti went from three scholarship offers to five.
Oregon and Arizona State jumped on the Tafiti train on Wednesday morning while the Punahou sophomore was in-between online classes and homework. Both Pac-12 Conference programs had been in contact with Punahou Coach Kale Ane and Tafiti, but Tafiti was not expecting movement like this.
“I was totally shocked,” said Tafiti, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound defensive end/linebacker.
The lone sophomore on the Star-Advertiser All-State first team tweeted the news on Wednesday morning. His parents were at work, so he was looking forward to talking with them during lunch hour.
“I think my dad saw (my tweet),” Tafiti said.
He also has offers from Hawaii, Utah and Washington.
The Oregon offer came via defensive line coach Joe Salavea.
“They were super welcoming. We had a Zoom meeting and the head coach (Mario Cristobal) announced I had an offer,” Tafiti said. “(Coach Salavea), he’s a great guy. I actually talked to him last night. He’s a very religious guy. He prayed with us — me, my dad, my brother — over the phone.”
Between Oregon and Arizona State, Tafiti has been closer to the Ducks.
“I think Oregon has a better feel for me. I actually met them, Coach Salavea and Coach Ken (Wilson), the inside linebackers coach, at the UH Camp,” he said.
The Hawaii camp was in June of 2019. No college program made an offer to Tafiti before his sophomore season, when he broke out with 45.5 tackles, including 11 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. He forced three fumbles and returned one against Campbell for a 70-yard touchdown. That caught recruiters off guard. Hawaii was the first to offer. Now there are four Pac-12 teams chasing the speedy Tafiti.
“They’re super surprised. They broke down film for me. They like how I can play multiple positions and stuff,” he said. “DeForest (Buckner) played there.”
Arizona State is also beginning to make inroads in the islands again. Assistant Coach Shaun Aguano made the offer to Tafiti.
“It’s funny because he’s close friends with my mom’s brother. They’re from Kauai,” Tafiti said. “I actually met him at school at the beginning of sophomore year. He met with the juniors and I popped in to say hi.”
Tafiti is more strategic than most student-athletes about connecting with college coaches. He often sends texts and video links. One of them was ASU and Coach Aguano.
“I’ve been spamming his phone. Everybody, pretty much. I’ve sent out to more than 10 coaches. I called him and we started FaceTiming. They actually have the Poly game and the highlights I sent to him,” Tafiti said. “I feel like all the schools that offered me have a family vibe. Arizona State has a lot of Hawaii kids.
Tafiti gets much of his strategy from teammate Kahanu Kia, who has nine offers plus two packages from Ivy League schools. His latest offer came from Fresno State on Tuesday.
“We talk about recruiting,” Tafiti said. “‘Is this coach talking to you? What about that one?’ I don’t really care how many there are. I’m just glad I got offers. I’m just keeping my options open, still exploring.”
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