Meet Matayo Uiagalelei: The sophomore that is taking recruiting by storm |
Players with incredible size and speed don’t come along all that often, and when they do, they take the recruiting world by storm. The latest storm is named Matayo Uiagalelei.
Uiagalelei is the younger brother of Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Matayo is a 4-star defensive end/tight end prospect in the 2023 recruiting class out of Bellflower (CA) St. John Bosco. Uiagalelei already stands 6-6 and weighed in recently at 265 pounds and was timed at 4.8 in the 40-yard dash. Those measurables have led to a handful of early offers, including Alabama, Boise State, Colorado, LSU, Oregon, Oregon State, Utah, Southern Cal, and Texas A&M. Uiagalelei said that while he started out as a defensive end, he has enjoyed learning to play tight end and college coaches are telling him they are unsure where he will play at the next level. “They see me as an interesting football player and they tell me they want to see what I grow into, whether that is offense or defense,” Uiagalelei said. “It doesn’t matter to me (what position he plays). It's in between defensive end and tight end or maybe linebacker, I don't know.” What does he feel like he brings to the tight end position? “Size and running ability and ball skills,” he said. *” On offense, I just try to win the game. Just get yards, whatever makes my team win.” Uiagalelei understands that Clemson doesn’t offer sophomores, but he knows an offer will arrive at some point and he knows what the Tigers have to offer. “They're interested. I remember from DJ's experiences how much of a family their coaching staff is, and seeing how they teach players about character and stuff like that,” Uiagalelei said. “I like going to the games and watching Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy and those guys.” Uiagalelei said he hasn’t made a list of favorites, but did say what stands out about a few of his top contenders. On Southern Cal, he said, “Just the atmosphere. Everything is in LA. Everything's in Southern California. That's probably the main thing.” Oregon is a childhood favorite. “Well, I grew up as a Duck fan,” he said. “That was probably my favorite college throughout my childhood. I like it up there.” LSU is another school that stands out. “I like it a lot. I like their coaching. I like Coach (Ed) Orgeron,” he said. “I've been up there or down there, up there, whatever, but I've been there. I liked the coaching staff. Nice facilities ... I like Louisiana. It's a pretty cool place to be.” When it comes time to make a decision, Uiagalelei already knows what he’s looking for in a school. “I'd probably say the main two is player development and the area of the school. Like, is it country or city, urban,” Uiagalelei said. “For me, it's probably going to have to be more of a city-type place because I'm a music producer and I don't know if there's going to be a lot of people who are artists that are going to go out to the country.” Uiagalelei is not just a rising star in the football ranks, he wants a career in music as a producer. “Music producing isn't just making beats. The basis of it is bringing together the sounds for the tracks,” Uiagalelei said. “So like this is the artist and he's the voice of the track, but you hear all the background stuff like you hear pianos, guitars, you can hear drums and different types of genres, and that's what the producer does. “My family's musical on my dad's side. So my uncles and my dad, they produce, but I don't know. I remember seeing my Uncle Robert produce one time and then... I just like music, myself, even if they didn't produce. I just like music and I just searched it up on YouTube and taught myself how to do it and I just fell in love with it.” My son Matayo looking really healthy out here today. A Lean 6’6” 265lbs and only in 10th grade. Could you imagine how he’s going to look in 2Years...?????? #SizeAndSkillsMatters #THEFRONT #WCAfamily #Trendsetters #HardWorkOverTalent pic.twitter.com/rfRpir06VD That’s 6’6” 265 pounds 10th gr moving like that?????? with soft hands and fast reaction to snag that ball for a TD...?????? #ALLIN #GoTigers pic.twitter.com/pDiJMhBo1B If your wondering what this move is called, this is a cross-chop jump through. One of the many moves Matayo learned from his uncle coach Iona, DL specialist teaches at THE FRONT. @GregBiggins @247Sports @GregBiggins @Rivals @ClemSportNews @ClemsonInsider @USC_FB pic.twitter.com/4Yil355voX @ 6’6” 265 pounds 10th grader, Matayo has great speed and can change direction on a dime. For a young kid, that’s impressive to watch. #YoungConcrete #speedkills @Rivals @247Sports @GregBiggins @ClemSportNews @ClemsonInsider @USC_FB pic.twitter.com/N11se5zj4Y
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