Texas A&M in the top ten for Top-100 EDGE Tausili Akana

2023 Lehi (Utah) Skyridge four-star EDGE Tausili Akana is down to ten schools, and Texas A&M remains in the mix for the Top-100 pass-rusher.

Alongside the Aggies, Akana is still considering Penn State, Texas, Hawaii, Notre Dame, Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, Oklahoma and LSU.

He’s already taken official visits to Texas, LSU and Oklahoma, the only three visits he’s taken this fall thus far. He’s set to make an official visit to Texas A&M Nov. 5, to see the Aggies take on Florida.

Akana’s official visit will be his second trip down to College Station this year. He made a weekend visit back in June, where the Aggies established staying power in his recruitment. 

Relationships are key for the top-100 prospect, and he’s got a good one with Texas A&M linebacker coach Tyler Santucci.

“The coaching staff, I’m definitely close with Coach Ty (Tyler Santucci),” Tausili Akana told On3’s Chad Simmons of what stands out about the Aggies. “We chop it up every day, so I really like the way he coaches and produces his players.” 

Though he’s been to College Station before, he added that because he’s yet to witness a game at Kyle Field, he’s excited to experience it for the first. time. 

“I want to see the environment and the people,” he said. “And just get to sit down and talk to the players.”

Texas A&M holds two linebacker commits to date, but is looking for a true edge rusher with their third linebacker spot that can play the BUCK position in DJ Durkin’s defense. Akana, who stands 6-foot-3, 210 pounds has both the physical frame and athleticism for what Durkin and his staff are looking for. 

A decision isn’t expected until December, and he won’t enroll until the summer, but Texas A&M will have a chance to emerge as the frontrunners down the stretch of his recruitment when he makes his official visit early next month. 

Scouting Report for Akana

“Disruptive edge player who can stand up or stick his hand in the dirt that makes his presence felt. Has the ability to get upfield quickly and turn the corner to get to the quarterback. Measured in at around 6-foot-3, just shy of 210 pounds with a 6-foot-6 wingspan. Ran an electronically-timed 4.82 second 40-yard dash, 4.47 second shuttle and 7.17 second 3-cone drill in the spring prior to his senior season. He also jumped a 30-inch vertical and an 8-foot-10 broad jump at the same event. Strong against the run and can set the edge consistently. Turned in a strong junior season at Skyridge (Utah) High totaling 78 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Also carried the ball 25 times for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns. Has the chance to be a menace for opposing offenses at the next level due to his versatility and athleticism. Has the look of a high floor prospect but will need to continue adding size. A bit on the smaller side for a top-end EDGE prospect. Transferred to Skyridge from Wasatch (Utah) after his sophomore season. Attended Wasatch after moving from Hawaii playing his freshman season at Kahuku High.” – Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings 

Akana ranks as the No. 96 prospect and the No. 17 EDGE prospect in the country per the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. The four-star has an On3 NIL Valuation of $114K. The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date; it rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.