‘I would love to stay home’: 4-star OT Samiu Taukiuvea has Utah among top schools

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The Utah Utes have a real opportunity to keep one of the state’s best 2028 offensive linemen home.

Four-star West High offensive tackle Samiu Taukiuvea has watched his recruitment blow up over the last several months, picking up offers from Ohio State, Oregon, USC, Penn State, Texas A&M, Washington, and plenty more.

Taukiuvea is currently rated as the No. 127 player nationally, No. 13 offensive tackle, and No. 4 player in Utah in the Rivals Industry Ranking. He already holds more than 20 offers, putting together one of the better offer sheets of any prospect in the state.

But there is obviously something different about Utah in this recruitment.

Taukiuvea grew up in Salt Lake City. His mom has worked at the University of Utah for more than 20 years. He grew up a Utes fan.

And right now, he says staying home is a very real possibility.

“I would say Utah sits at one of the top choices,” Taukiuvea told me. “I would love to stay home and have my family at every home game.”

Utah has been involved for a while. Taukiuvea said Lewis Powell originally delivered the offer before the change to Morgan Scalley’s staff. When Jordan Gross took over the offensive line room, one of the first things Gross did was make sure Taukiuvea knew that offer was not going anywhere.

“Powell originally gave me the offer, and when the coaching staff changed, Jordan Gross confirmed that the offer was still good,” Taukiuvea said. “Coach Gross has been keeping in contact with me, along with the others, but I like Gross and my family does too.”

That relationship is going to matter. Gross joined Scalley’s staff in January after spending four seasons as the head coach at Fruitland High School in Idaho. Before that, he was one of the best offensive linemen to ever come through Utah, going No. 8 overall in the 2003 NFL Draft and starting 167 games during an 11-year NFL career with Carolina.

For a recruit who told me his relationship with his position coach and development will be two of the biggest factors in his eventual decision, Gross gives Utah a pretty easy pitch.

“One of the big things that will separate the different schools is my relationship with the position coaches,” Taukiuvea said. “I anticipate that is who I will spend the most time with and will trust them to develop me for the future.”

Ohio State has offered. Oregon has offered. Penn State, USC, and Texas A&M have offered. Taukiuvea is going to have essentially every opportunity he could want, and this is only the beginning of his junior year.

Utah still has something none of those programs can replicate. Home.

“My mom has worked at the U all my life, she’s been there 20+ years so we grew up Utes fans and attended a few games,” Taukiuvea said.

That does not mean this one is automatic, far from it.

Taukiuvea has already taken trips around the country, including stops at Oregon, Penn State, USC, UCLA and Utah earlier this year, and he is working on another group of visits as his recruitment continues.

“Working on a couple visits, hoping to visit Oregon, Texas A&M, Utah, BYU, UCLA, and Oklahoma,” Taukiuvea said.

There is still a long way to go with a 2028 prospect, and Taukiuvea will continue to be recruited nationally. But Utah has exactly what it wants at this stage.

The Utes have been there early. Gross and the family have connected. Taukiuvea already knows the program as well as just about any recruit could from growing up around it, and the idea of playing in Rice-Eccles Stadium with his family there every Saturday clearly means something to him.

Utah is not just the hometown option here. Right now, the Utes are one of his top choices.