4-star Hawaii OL Preston Taumua felt he was ‘part of the team already’ on Auburn official visit

AUBURN – Making his first trip to Auburn over the weekend was Preston Taumua, a 4-star offensive lineman from Aiea (Haw.).

Taumua is the No. 228 overall player in the country, the No. 16 interior offensive lineman, and the No. 1 player in the state of Hawaii according to the On3 Industry Rankings.

Taumua narrowed his schools down to five, but it is thought that this could be a battle between Auburn and Alabama.

The visit was a good one for Taumua.

“The visit went well,” Taumua said. “I feel like it was really family-oriented. They treated me like family. The whole team treated me like I was part of the team already.”

He enjoyed his first trip to Auburn and his first time in Alabama even if it was a little different than home.

“It’s kind of weird because they don’t have any rice over here, they use potatoes,” Taumua said. “I was kind of weird on that, but it’s probably going to grow on me if I do come here. The potatoes were good though, I’ll give it to them.”

He felt at home anyway.

“For sure, even though the guys here aren’t from Hawaii, they treated me like they were from Hawaii,” Taumua said. “That’s how family based it is.”

The relationship with Ben Aigamaua, Auburn’s tight ends coach, is strong.

“Coach Ben, he’s from Samoa and my dad is from Samoa,” Taumua said. “They talked a lot and Coach Ben’s actually lives in Hawaii. He flies back and forth. If I were to come here I’d probably lean on him the most.”

He also built a good bond with Jake Thornton, the offensive line coach.

“Coach Jake (Thornton) is full of energy,” Taumua said. “He’s good. He gave me the spill of what the O-line is looking like this year. I feel like if I were to come here, I could be a freshman starter right off the bat. (It’s important) especially in the SEC, the best competition.”

Then, there is Tigers’ coach Hugh Freeze.

“Coach Freeze is energetic,” Taumua said. “He’s full of energy, that’s why I like him. He’s a down to earth guy.”

What’s next?

Where does Auburn stand after this visit?

“I don’t know to be honest, I’ve only been to Arizona,” Taumua said. “Arizona was pretty good, and Auburn is right there with them. I’ll see how these next two visits go and I’ll compare all the schools.”

The facilities certainly stood out.

“These facilities are nice, top notch. Some of the best I’ve seen so far,” Taumua said.

A commitment date has been set.

“August 24th, that’s the commitment date,” Taumua said.

Where does Auburn project Taumua?

“Coach Thornton said both,” Taumua said. “That’s surprising because in the SEC you see tackles that are like 6-7.”

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