There are still a tremendous amount of moving parts in the recruitment of four-star offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia, who recently said he wakes up every morning to nearly 100 text messages from coaches.
A lot of programs remain in contention for the Orem, Utah, standout and he has also had to reschedule a bunch of visits because of the coronavirus travel ban. Recently, Suamataia said trips to Arkansas, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, USC, Virginia, Penn State and Georgia have to be reworked once he can get back on the road.
Oregon is definitely the top school, and the Ducks could be difficult to beat, but there are many others involved. Below, we break down which schools could be the main contenders in Suamataia’s recruitment.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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1. OREGON
Suamataia is a close friend of 2020 five-star signee Noah Sewell. He has worked out with Penei Sewell. He says Oregon is “like home.” He has a fantastic relationship with the Oregon coaching staff. And Suamataia has been to Eugene numerous times, so he’s comfortable there. The Ducks are definitely the frontrunner in his recruitment and if they continue to make him a priority in the coming months - especially if Suamataia cannot take many more visits - then they could easily land him.
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2. GEORGIA
After Oregon, every other program is playing catch up, and that includes Georgia, although the Bulldogs have shown the ability to go to any region for any player and have a chance. There was a lot of interest in Georgia when former offensive line coach Sam Pittman was there (more on that later) and it has stayed steady in the last few months. Getting to spend more time in Athens, with coach Kirby Smart and especially with offensive line coach Matt Luke, will be key for the Bulldogs.
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3. ALABAMA
Alabama was very much in the running for Penei Sewell and it made a run at Noah Sewell as well, so Suamataia is somewhat familiar with the coaching staff and is definitely familiar with the success Crimson Tide players have had in college and then into the NFL. A visit to Tuscaloosa is going to be very important for the four-star offensive tackle, but if he can get there and if he’s blown away by coach Nick Saban, the staff and the history there then the Tide could move up quickly.
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4. UTAH
Suamataia should be highly familiar with the Utah staff because it has recruited Orem over the years, especially by going after Penei and Noah Sewell recently. If Suamataia’s recruitment goes into the fall and he starts leaning toward staying closer to home, the Utes have done well developing players over the years and Utah could have a shot. BYU is making him more of a priority as well in recent months, but the Utes have been more consistent and if staying home becomes a bigger focus Utah could land him.
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5. ARKANSAS
This is a dark horse, there’s no doubt about that, but Suamataia seems to like coach Sam Pittman a lot and there is definitely a huge opportunity to play from day one in Fayetteville. Again, it’s going to be crucial for the four-star to visit Arkansas and if that happens - and if Pittman can really sell his vision for the program - then the Razorbacks could move up. It’s going to be tough for Pittman and his outstanding group of assistants to land a high four-star prospect from Utah.
