Yes, the name is familiar.Â
Nebraska extended an early scholarship offer on Monday night to Lincoln Southeast sophomore defender Teitum Tuioti.Â
Inside linebackers coach Barrett Ruud, a Southeast graduate himself and the Huskers' in-state recruiting coordinator, made the call to extend the offer, but Dad probably knew it was coming, too.Â
After a great call with I’m excited and grateful to receive an offer to play
— Teitum Tuioti (@TeitumT)
That's because Teitum is the son of NU defensive line coach Tony Tuioti, the second-year assistant who oversees a burgeoning position of strength for the Huskers.Â
Tuioti's recruitment is already taking off even though he is just halfway through his high school career. Earlier this month, Ole Miss jumped into the fray, meaning his first known Power Five scholarship offer came from the SEC. Utah State of the Mountain West has also already offered.Â
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"Just really happy for him, excited for him," Southeast coach Ryan Gottula told the Journal Star. "He’s a great young man. Nice kid, good student and obviously a very good football player as well. I’m really pleased with what he was able to do during his sophomore season as far as stepping into a starting role for a Class A team. He just got better as the season went along and he’s an extremely coachable young man."
Tuioti was named a first-team all-city selection by the Journal Star along the defensive line, and eventually he could either play up front or on the edge at outside linebacker, depending on how much he grows and the type of scheme he plays in at the college level.Â
Already listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, Tuioti was a disruptive player for the Knights. According to MaxPreps, he had 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks and three passes defended in nine games his sophomore season.Â
"He’s someone that understands technique very well, obviously, not a surprise there with his dad being a defensive line coach," Gottula said. "But he played kind of a linebacker position for us as a freshman, and to be able to move down to a defensive end, I thought he really took that on and learned that position really well. He’s got a great motor and really gets after it as a player."Â
The Tuiotis are no strangers to the recruiting process, even when it's not Dad making the pitch. Teitum's older brother, Teivis, played at Southeast in 2019 and now is a freshman defensive lineman at Nevada.Â