Jared Lloyd - Daily Herald | Posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 12:45 am
Quarterback is arguably the highest profile position on the football field and many guys to want to be in the spotlight under center.
But sometimes the best thing that can happen is for a player to focus on finding the spot that's right for them - just ask Lone Peak senior Sae Tautu.
"It was a crazy process," Tautu said. "I was always the quarterback because there wasn't any other quarterback on the team. But I wanted to play linebacker because I knew I was going to grow bigger. I came to Lone Peak and they had a quarterback, so I had a good chance to play linebacker. It was a lot of hard work."
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound athlete has excelled at the linebacker spot and it paid off this week as he was offered and accepted a scholarship offer from BYU.
"They wanted me to come to their camp this week and when I came, I had a meeting with Bronco Mendenhall and ended up leaving having committed to play for BYU," he said. "It's been something that's been in the back of my mind for a long time. I felt like if BYU offered, I was going to take it. It's something I've wanted my whole life, so when the offer came around, I had to take it."
Knight head football coach Tony McGeary said the transition made sense for Tautu.
"We wanted him to play linebacker and tight end to take advantage of his skills," McGeary said. "He's a good kid, a great student and a solid recruit for BYU to pickup, one that has a lot of potential. I think he'll be able to get even bigger and stronger."
The scholarship opportunity didn't surprise McGeary, since he's had the chance to watch Tautu develop over the past few months.
"He worked really hard in our offseason program," McGeary said. "He's continued to really develop his speed and become quite a fluid runner. He's also gotten quite a bit stronger and picked up some weight."
That effort was on display as the senior put on a show at both BYU's camp, where he was the most outstanding linebacker, and at the All-Polynesian Camp in Bountiful, where he was named defensive all-star.
"The camps were fun," Tautu said. "I went to BYU's camp to learn the position better and see the competition. I did really well and having been a quarterback made a big difference because I understood what the offense was doing. The competition was very high at the All-Poly camp, but I ended up doing pretty well."
His coach said that he's seen even more drive from Tautu because he's filling into his new role.
"I think that not playing position before added fuel to the fire because he wanted to get out there and prove himself," McGeary said. "It doesn't surprise me that he was able to earn a scholarship, but it's still a great story."
Tautu is looking forward to finishing his high school career this fall and then heading to BYU for a year before serving an LDS mission.
"It's a big load off my shoulders," he said. "Now I can play football and have fun because I know everything is taken care of. I hope I've got a good season ahead of me."
The first high school football games will take place in mid-August.
∫ Jared Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@heraldextra.com.