The four-star Class of 2021 offensive lineman from Orem (Utah) High School said he's the nephew of former Tennessee defensive tackle J.T. Mapu, and he’s already planning “to come back out” for another visit — perhaps as early as this season — after his trip to Knoxville on Thursday and Friday. The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Suamataia accompanied
Noah Sewell, a four-star athlete and top-50 prospect in the 2020 class, on a weeklong trip that also took him to Alabama, Clemson and Georgia.
He spoke highly of each of the visits, but he said his overnight stay at Tennessee made a big impression on him for a couple of reasons. “Tennessee was great for me because I got to see where my uncle, JT Mapu, played,” said Suamataia, who’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 63 overall prospect and No. 10 offensive tackle in the 2021 class. “And (athletic director Phillip) Fulmer was great. I also got to meet my grandpa’s friend he played in Canada with, Condredge Holloway. “It was a fun time. Love the area, and the guys I met on the team were great. I’m excited to come back out.”
His grandfather, Junior Ah You, played at Arizona State and spent most of his professional career with the Montreal Allouettes of the Canadian Football League. That’s where Ah You played against Holloway, the former Tennessee star quarterback who spent decades working in the Vols’ athletic department. Suamataia posed for pictures with Fulmer, the former Tennessee coach who led the Vols to the 1998 national championship, and Holloway that he posted on his Twitter account. Suamataia said Holloway is “one of the greats in my book.”
“I got to meet Condredge and love him,” Suamataia said. “My papa talked FaceTimed him, and they talked while I was there with him.” Suamataia said he has been close to Mapu “my whole life,” and “my dad even came out to watch him play” during his time at Tennessee. Suamataia said his family stayed in contact with Mapu throughout their stay in Knoxville this week. “My dad talked to him the whole time we were in Tennessee and sent him all the pictures,” Suamataia said of Mapu. “He’s one of the people I look up to.”
Suamataia said he’s also related to former NFL defensive end C.J. Ah You, the NFL defensive end who previously served as Vanderbilt’s defensive line coach and still lives in Nashville, Tenn. But Suamataia’s connections to Tennessee aren’t the only reasons he’s interested in the Vols. He said he “loved” Tennessee tight ends coach
Brian Niedermeyer, his primary recruiter for the Vols, and head coach
Jeremy Pruitt “made me feel very comfortable.”
“All the big schools have about the same facilities and education programs, but it’s the feeling that I have the right people around to support me. … Tennessee was great,” Suamataia said. "Spent a lot of time with (offensive line) coach (Will) Friend and Coach Pruitt, (and) also with Mr. Fulmer.” Unlike Sewell, Suamataia didn’t participate in one of Tennessee’s camps while he was on campus. But he said the Vols told him “they didn’t need to see me” because “they had my film,” and he’s a priority for them in the 2021 class.
“They said they’re going to recruit me hard, (and) to keep working hard,” said Suamataia, who already holds offers from at least 25 schools. "They like my technique, lots of good things about how I look. And they like me at left tackle but asked what I can play. I said I’ve played every position on the (offensive line). “They said I’m the priority for my class in recruits, and they really made me feel wanted and good.”
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