Utah TE Roger Saleapaga: ‘Auburn is at a real good place right now’

AUBURN – One of the top visitors on Saturday was Roger Saleapaga, a 6-foot-4 210-pound 3-star tight end from Orem, Utah. It was a trip that has been in the works for a while and finally happened for Auburn’s game against Samford.

Saleapaga is the No. 413 overall player in the country, the No. 28 tight end and the No. 3 ranked player in the state of Utah according to the On3 Industry Ranking.

For the Tigers’, even though the trip happened much later than they wanted it to, it worked out perfectly. Saleapaga and his family were very impressed with everything Auburn had to offer.

“I loved it here. It was way better than I expected,” Saleapaga said. “This trip has been a long time coming so it’s been fun, real fun. I’m dropping my Top Six in a couple of days, so I really wanted to come see Auburn. I think it’s a great fit for me. They’re rebuilding, use their tight ends, why not come out here and see for myself? Even though it wasn’t a highly ranked team they played against, I saw a lot of stuff I liked so far.”

Aigamaua, Freeze, tight end usage important

The atmosphere for a night game in Jordan-Hare Stadium was a new experience for Saleapaga and his family.

“Yeah, it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” Saleapaga said. “I’m a west coast boy, I grew up on the west coast, it was my first SEC game and it was great. I had a blast with all the fans. I was getting stopped downtown so it just showed how much love the team has. We went to go eat, me and my parents. We walked around, tailgated. It was fun. I loved it here. The people are so genuine. Real people. Real fans. I have never seen anywhere like this.”

The tight ends were used by Auburn on Saturday. Rivaldo Fairweather had several catches and Micah Riley had a touchdown catch. That was important to Saleapaga, if not one of the most important factors.

“Yeah it’s very important. I want to go to a team where I’ll be used,” Saleapaga said. “I’m not looking for a team where I’ll just sit and block, I’m a pass-catcher at heart. To see that really helps my decision. It makes it harder, too.”

Auburn tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua has been the lead recruiter for Saleapaga.

“Coach Ben, I love that dude,” he said. “We have been building this relationship for a long time. Once this new staff came in, he was on me heavy. He offered me three months ago. Ever since then, he has shown nothing but love. He and his family. I love that guy so much.”

Tigers’ coach Hugh Freeze has also been in the mix of communication.

“Of course, for sure. They text me almost every day,” Saleapaga said. “When is it that you get text from a head coach of a big program. He (Freeze) has been texting me, Ben, the whole offensive staff. I felt love from all of them.”

What is next?

Next up for Saleapaga is a few official visits. Auburn will get one for the Iron Bowl in November.

“Right now, I am going to go see Oregon next week, Oregon is up there, pretty high in my recruitment,” he said. Then Colorado, I am about to go see them in the game against USC.”

Does Auburn actually have a shot with Saleapaga?

“Yeah, Auburn does. I’m not going to lie,” he said. “I really wasn’t feeling Auburn, but you can’t make your decision without seeing it. At first when I came here, I was like, ‘Okay let’s just come, they’ve been asking me for a long time.’ Just seeing the smiles on my parents faces, the hospitality here is great. Shoutout to the recruiting team. They made everything great. Auburn does have a shot now. I wouldn’t even say now, I was always worried about Auburn because I needed to come see it for my first time, they’re up there now.”

A decision date is still being worked out, but there is a date in mind right now.

“My plan is to commit on my grandma’s birthday, which is December 17th,” Saleapaga said. “That’s the plan right now, we’re still trying to figure things out. Praying on it every day.”

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