DE Iuta Tepa

O

Ohio Pete

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Player: Iuta Tepa

Hometown: Long Beach, CA

Position: DE

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 240 lbs.

40 time: 4.7

Visit Date:

Scholarships offered: Nebraska, Hawaii, Colorado State , Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, Washington

Committed to: Hawaii

Rankings/Stars:

Rivals: :star :star 5.1 NR

Bid Red Report: :star :star NR

ESPN: 75 #85 DE

Assessing the talent:

It is tough to flip on the film of Tepa and not like this kid. He is like a bull in a china shop. He is a tough, hard-nosed defender that flies around. He has good size and displays good raw power. He looks on film to have a thick build and could likely be a kid that can slide down inside and play some "three"-technique in certain situations if he can add a little more size. He flashes some good quickness off the ball, but needs to be more consistent in that area. He is a physical kid at the point of attack. He can be sloppy in his technique, but he can also be tough to keep blocked. Does a good job with his hands and has the strength to move blockers aside. He needs to watch his pad level as he plays high. He will let blockers get into his chest and his power lets him get away with it at times, but at the college level that will be tougher. Does a good job of squeezing down and staying square. Can get penetration when he slants inside. Has a good motor and never stops trying to get to the ball. Displays good straight line speed. He is a solid tackler and can deliver a pop. He can be a wild at times and that will lead to some overruns of the ball. As a pass rusher he can bull-rush and will try and attack the up-field shoulder and run past the blocker. Needs to keep developing his pass rushing skills, but he can pressure the quarterback. Tepa is just a tough kid who can be productive. He will make some big hits and plays, but will also likely give up some plays because of his style. He will have his defensive coordinator pulling his hair out at times in college, but in the long run he will likely be glad he has a kid like Tepa on his defense. --ESPN
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Odds of becoming a Cornhusker: 10%

Just offered according to ESPN:

Long Beach Poly (Calif.) defensive end Iuta Tepa was just offered by Nebraska. Tepa is exploding on the recruiting scene and will likely hit double digit offers by next week.
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Committed to Hawaii but that was when he only had offers from Hawaii and Colorado State. Taking a look around now that he has other offers. Apparently at his high school (Poly) is not unusual for guys to not play at all until they are seniors so they get late recruiting momentum like this.
 
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Not in his top 4 according to ESPN:

Tepa's stock continues to soar
Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Posted by Greg Biggins

Few players saw their stock rise as much this past season as Long Beach Poly (Calif.) defensive end Luta Tepa. Tepa was completely off the radar back in the summer and is now one of the elite rush ends in the West region.

Tepa was the top defensive player for arguably the top defense in the West this year. He's an athletic pass rusher with a nice frame and a motor. He's similar to former Jackrabbit defensive end Kenny Rowe (Oregon) but may have even more upside because he's bigger and just as athletic.

The lineman committed early to Hawaii but then backed off as the scholarship offers started to flood in. Tepa now has four visits set up for January and said he's wide-open among his finalists.

"I'm going in to these trips with an open mind and no leader," Tepa said. "I'm going to take the visits and after my last visit, I'll give myself some time to think things over and then decide on Signing Day.

"I have visits set with Hawaii (Jan. 9), Oregon (Jan. 16), Colorado (Jan. 23) and UCLA (Jan. 30). I'm looking for the best football program, a school with strong academics and support and a place I can play at early."
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