Derek Tuimauga likes the Pac-10 |
One new offer is on the table for Derek Tuimauga. Another one has recently been pulled. Last week, Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh was in town to watch the 6-foot-4, 325-pound offensive lineman workout. Harbaugh liked what he saw and made Tuimauga an offer before he left. Meanwhile, Tuimauga says his previous scholarship offer from Oregon has been withdrawn.
There is still plenty of time for this ultra-talented lineman, from Bingham High School (South Jordan, Utah), to elevate his stock and land more offers. And Stanford can now be added to Tuimauga's official list, which also includes Utah. BYU will also be stopping by this week to watch Tuimauga workout, and could be next to offer as they have been tracking him for a while now.
In addition to Stanford, Utah and BYU, Tuimauga is also receiving interest from Washington and California. He made a visit to Washington a few weeks back and came away impressed with the experience. "It was a good visit," said Tuimauga. "It was my first time up to Washington. I thought all of the coaches were really cool and I got to see all the work they are doing to improve the facilities. I thought it was a nice campus and a nice school."
When asked where Washington fell on his list of favorites, Tuimauga said, "They are probably my number three school right now – because they have not offered."
One of the more intriguing details about Tuimauga is his football experience in relation to his age. He will not turn 17 until September 30th, which Bingham head coach David Peck pointed out because of the idea that Tuimauga could actually only be heading into his junior year, instead of preparing for his senior season. That fact further illustrates just how far ahead of the curve Tuimauga is. "Derek's a very intelligent player," said Peck. "He's started for us since he was 13 years old. People told me he was going to be a good one when he was coming up. And by his second game as a ninth grader, he was starting."
Tuimauga is working out routinely to make sure he maintains his current pace of production on the football field. He has been actively hitting the weights with the rest of his team in the Bingham High weight room (where he can bench press up to 410 pounds) to prepare for his senior year. The lineman is also working to improve his all around game by training with the SPARK clinic, a program that focuses on speed and agility.
Tuimauga's efforts on and off the field have worked in his favor up to this point and should continue to bring him more offers in the near future. Coach Peck is confident that whoever ends up signing his player will be getting a stud. "Derek is a great leader and he works extremely hard," says Peck. "His best football days are ahead of him."
Updated on Thursday, May 24, 2007 10:33 pm EDT
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