4-star TE Roger Saleapaga ready for first visit to Tennessee

Four-star Orem High School (Utah) tight end Roger Saleapaga has turned into one of the top tight end prospects in the nation of late. He is set for a busy summer and will get his first look at Tennessee later this week.

For Saleapaga, obvious aspects such as the vertically attacking offense and being in the SEC have the Vols standing out, but his relationship with the staff in Knoxville has been key early on.

This starts with Tennesse recruiting analyst Aaron Amaama. Amaama and Saleapaga are both of the Polynesian culture and hail from Utah. Amaama has been instrumental in helping the four-star prospect understand what type of program Josh Heupel is building in Knoxville.

“With Coach Dog, he is like my brother,” Saleapaga said of Amaama. “He is a Utah kid, so just seeing him expand his likings to the East Coast, it is good to see him do that. Just to have him keep trying to get kids from Utah out to the East meant a lot to me. He was one of the first coaches on me, and he believed in me when no one else did. He took a chance on me, and obviously, I have been blessed with many other offers since, but for him to be a part of one of my first SEC offers meant a lot. He still keeps in contact with me every day. He is always there for me.”

Since taking over as tight end coach, Abeln has also made Saleapaga feel like a priority, including stopping by Orem High School during the evaluation period last month.

“I love his effort to come and see me,” Saleapaga said of Abeln. “He has only been the new tight ends coach for a short time, so his effort to make me a priority means a lot. I wasn’t really in contact with the new tight ends coach, so I wanted to see if my offer still stood (when Abeln took over). Coach Abe is a great guy. He doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He shows lots of love, and you can tell his work ethic is contagious. That is what I love about Coach Abeln.”

Saleapaga is excited to get his first look at Tennessee, and he will focus on one important aspect during the visit to Knoxville as the Vols look further to solidify themselves as a long-term player in this recruitment.

“Mostly just the people,” the four-star tight end said of what will be important during his visit. “I want to surround myself with the right people. I don’t want to be around fake people. The people and the players are the most important to me. Wherever I go, I am going to spend three to four years with them. Just being comfortable with the team. A family culture is what I am looking to see.”

Oregon, Auburn, Baylor, Utah, Oklahoma, and numerous others, along with Tennessee, are making the four-star tight end a priority. He will see Baylor later this month on an official visit and plans to see each school again throughout the process.

Saleapaga does not plan to make a decision until December following his Senior season. He plans to narrow his list of contenders later this summer.

“For me, effort means a lot, and another thing is how my family feels,” Saleapaga said of what is important to him during the process. “We want to see what the people and the place are like.”

The post 4-star TE Roger Saleapaga ready for first visit to Tennessee appeared first on On3.