Tevi heads to Pac-12

Euless Trinity defensive end Sam Tevi officially ended his recruitment over the weekend by committing to Utah.

Tevi chose Utah over offers from 12 other schools including BYU, Utah State, Arizona, Arizona State, Hawaii, Syracuse, Purdue, Arkansas, and Washington. According to Tevi, Utah seemed like a natural fit.

"When I went up there for the All Poly camp, I took my unofficial visit [to Utah] and I just fell in love with it right when I stepped on campus. It was just a feeling. The coaches up there are incredible. They treat you like their own son," he said. "When I went up there, I felt like I knew the players forever. It's like they were in a line waiting to introduce themselves to me."

One of the big factors in Tevi's commitment was his relationship with Utah safeties coach Morgan Scalley. "He's a cool dude. I love him. It's like he's my brother - like he's my best friend. It feels like we up grew up together," he said.

Tevi feels like he'll be a natural fit at defensive end for the Utes. "I think I'll fit pretty good into their defense. Coach Chad [Kauha'aha'a] is an excellent defensive line coach, but I'm not expecting to go there and start. I know I'm expected to work my butt off and try to get a starting spot," he said.

Tevi, who is LDS, plans on serving a two year mission after his freshman year. He also hopes to graduate early so he can join the Utes for spring practice after signing day.

"When I sat down and talked to Coach Scalley, he said I had 15 of the 16 core credits I need, and said I can graduate early if I wanted to come up in January. I can be there for spring, play in the fall and leave [on my mission] right after the bowl game," he said.