Washington State offered Steilacoom (Wash.) linebacker Fotu Leiato last night following his unofficial visit for the Apple Cup. I spoke with his coach today and will have a story this week, but here's a few notes on Leiato's interest and recruitment.
-His coach at Steilacoom, Williams Garrow, described Leiato as a "violent, physical and aggressive" defender.
"We had to stop doing special teams in full pads during high school practices because he kept injuring his teammates," Garrow said. "He really only has one speed, and that's all-out."
-Washington State envisions Leiato as an immediate contributor on special teams, though in Garrow's conversations with coaches, there's still a question as to what position he'll play, and it'll depend on what system he plays in. Outside linebacker or strong safety seem like the most logical spots, but the WSU coaches think his 200-pound frame can fill out to about 215-230, so linebacker may be the best bet.
-Garrow says Fotu is "very excited" about the Washington State offer and it gives him a lot of things to think about. In total, he holds offers from WSU, Wyoming, Idaho, EWU, Montana, Weber State and Montana State. He'll visit Wyoming on Dec. 12 and will likely take an official visit to Pullman. Oregon State has picked up interest and visited him at school today.
-Coach Mele and Coach Salave'a are recruiting him, with Mele the primary recruiter.
-As for his official visit, Fotu really enjoyed it and spent a lot of time with the coaching staff on Sunday morning.
"He really enjoyed himself and was very impressed," Garrow said. "He talked about the barbershop, weight room, heck he even talked about the media room, so I know that was very cool for him."
We'll have more later this week.
This post was edited on 12/2 12:20 AM by Britton Ransford
-His coach at Steilacoom, Williams Garrow, described Leiato as a "violent, physical and aggressive" defender.
"We had to stop doing special teams in full pads during high school practices because he kept injuring his teammates," Garrow said. "He really only has one speed, and that's all-out."
-Washington State envisions Leiato as an immediate contributor on special teams, though in Garrow's conversations with coaches, there's still a question as to what position he'll play, and it'll depend on what system he plays in. Outside linebacker or strong safety seem like the most logical spots, but the WSU coaches think his 200-pound frame can fill out to about 215-230, so linebacker may be the best bet.
-Garrow says Fotu is "very excited" about the Washington State offer and it gives him a lot of things to think about. In total, he holds offers from WSU, Wyoming, Idaho, EWU, Montana, Weber State and Montana State. He'll visit Wyoming on Dec. 12 and will likely take an official visit to Pullman. Oregon State has picked up interest and visited him at school today.
-Coach Mele and Coach Salave'a are recruiting him, with Mele the primary recruiter.
-As for his official visit, Fotu really enjoyed it and spent a lot of time with the coaching staff on Sunday morning.
"He really enjoyed himself and was very impressed," Garrow said. "He talked about the barbershop, weight room, heck he even talked about the media room, so I know that was very cool for him."
We'll have more later this week.
This post was edited on 12/2 12:20 AM by Britton Ransford
