Tennessee Vols predicted to land 2023 stud 5-star recruit
2023 five-star offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa is visiting the Tennessee Vols this weekend and, if all goes well, he could be on the verge of committing to UT. Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney made predictions this week for some of the top uncommitted 2023 offensive linemen in the nation and he has the Vols […]
2023 five-star offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa is visiting the Tennessee Vols this weekend and, if all goes well, he could be on the verge of committing to UT.
Rivals.com national recruiting director Adam Gorney made predictions this week for some of the top uncommitted 2023 offensive linemen in the nation and he has the Vols landing Mauigoa.
Tennessee is emerging as not only a real contender for Mauigoa but maybe the team with an edge right now in his recruitment, and the high four-star will be in Knoxville this weekend for a huge recruiting event. Five-star quarterback commit Nico Iamaleava and others are recruiting him to the Vols and that could be important. For at least the last year there has been talking that Mauigoa’s family, which is originally from American Samoa, would prefer him back on the West Coast, which gives USC and Oregon an advantage but things seem to be opening up more now. Alabama, Miami, Florida and others are also involved as he figures this out.
Mauigoa, 6-foot-5/330 lbs from Bradenton, FL (he's originally from American Samoa), is ranked in 247Sports' composite rankings as the No. 2 offensive tackle in the nation and the No. 2 player in the state of Florida. He's also rated as the No. 8 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class.
247Sports southeast recruiting analyst Andrew Ivins describes Mauigoa as a player that "uses his raw power to simply overwhelm defenders". Ivins also projects Mauigoa as a future first-round draft pick.
The Vols' biggest obstacle in this recruiting battle is distance. Mauigoa has been in Florida for a while now, but it would be easier for his family to watch him play on the west coast (his older brother played at Washington State). Tennessee can definitely win this battle, but it won't be easy. The presence of Vols commit Nico Iamaleava (who is also in Knoxville this weekend) should help the Vols, though it's unclear how much it will help them.
Featured image via Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK
