Interview: 4-Star 2021 Nevada DL/OT Tiaoalii Savea Jr. has Gone Beast Mode

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

There are two old expressions that may apply well to the play of Tiaoalii Savea Jr. on the gridiron, 1) a person you would want to be in a foxhole with and 2) someone you would not want to mess with in a darkened back alley. After watching reel on Savea, it does not take long to see how aggressively, and in a positive way, he takes to the fight on the gridiron. With Desert Pines High School, the Las Vegas squad is using their 6-4.5, 260-pound, one-man gang at left tackle and along the defensive line yielding great results. Savea is a beast at left tackle keeping his quarterback’s jersey clean while opening up gaping holes for the run game and he is too quick and powerful for most guards and centers to deal with one-on-one or in a double-team set.

The Jaguars have run their record to 8-3 a year ago but are now one of the best teams in Nevada with a 4-0 mark ranked No. 2 behind national powerhouse Bishop Gorman. For an update on his season and his recruiting process, I sat down with the four-star recruit who holds 14 offers for a one-on-one talk.

Interview

Tiaoalii, the Jaguars have been taking care of business on the field so far this season with an offense scoring 43 points per game. What is clicking for you guys leading to the high-scoring games?

“Our coaching is the difference, and the players understand how to do their assignments.”

You bring the fight to the field at left tackle imposing your will. What is your mindset at the snap of the ball on offense?

“When I am on the field and the play is called, I do my assignment. That’s it. My goal is to put my guy on the ground and try to get my pancakes.”

Do you guys track your pancakes and/or knockdowns?

“No.”

If you had to guess how many you are getting a game?

“Probably about 15 each game.”

I believe it. If that is not enough, you are playing nose guard in the team’s 3-4. How is that going for you this season?

“It is going good. I am liking it a lot. It takes a lot of strength, endurance, and you got to get the blocker off you at nose, but it is going well.”

What do you feel are the best parts of your game on defense?

“My get off, getting skinny through the gap, and my motor.”

You do well on both sides of the ball, do you have a favorite position you like to play?

“Defense; I like playing defense. Defense is my passion when playing football.”

Which game has been your best so far this season?

“All of them have been good, but I do not feel that I have played my best yet. I am ready for the playoffs, that will be when we see the real competition.”

Going into recruiting. Which schools are showing interest?

“Oklahoma is showing a lot of love and so is Auburn.”

How many offers are you holding?

“14.”

Savea’s Offer Sheet: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Florida, LSU, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, Utah, and West Virginia

Since you play both sides of the ball at a high level, are most of the offers for defense or offense?

“They are mostly for defense.”

Of the offers, which schools have offered you on offense?

“Utah, New Mexico, USC offered me on both sides, Colorado, and West Virginia.”

Will you get a chance to visit any programs this fall?

“I might take one this weekend to Arizona and Arizona State.”

What has you excited about possibly visiting Arizona and Arizona State?

“I want to see how the schools are and how everything is set up in college. I want to see how it will be in college for me.”

Back to the field. The team just whipped up on Foothill 33-14. Overall, how did the team look in the win?

“We had some bad penalties… we won, but it was a bad game for us. We have to fix some stuff on the field so it will not happen again. We were thinking we were going to blow them out. We were not ourselves on the field. After the first quarter, we got a lot of penalties.”

You guys get Canyon Springs (0-4) next. What kind of game are you expecting from the Pioneers?

“We have a target on our back. They’ll come out hard, but we expect to win.”

Tiaoalii, I appreciate your time today and wish you guys success through the rest of the season.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credit: Desert Pines HS/Savea family; Tiaoalii Savea Jr in action (2019)

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