Even before Alema Iosua arrived on the ASU campus for the very first time, he felt that chances were he would leave Tempe as a Sun Devil pledge. Ultimately, the unofficial visit for the Las Vegas Bishop Gorman 6-7 295 offensive lineman did live up to his expectations, becoming Arizona State's fourth commit of the 2025 class.
“(Offensive line) Coach Tuitele has been recruiting me hard for the last few months,” Iosua commented. “He told me how much he likes my technique, my power on run blocks, my punching on pass blocks. and that I really belong there at Arizona State. He likes me at left tackle and thinks I can help the team out and help them win Big 12 championships.
“I just had a good feeling about him. He and Coach So’oto (Nick Soto, ASU’s Player Personnel Senior Assistant) and Coach Cooper (Deontrae Cooper, ASU’s Assistant Director of Player Personnel) all treated me like family, even though it was the first time we met each other. Meeting Coach Tuitele, I could tell that the offensive line is really something different from all these other schools. He treats the players like his sons, and the players told me how much they have going to his house to have dinners. Because I’m gonna be gone away from my family, and to know that I’m going to have another family here at ASU, it’s special.”
The lineman said that the most pleasant surprise on his visit came through his conversation with ASU’s head coach, Kenny Dillingham.
“I wasn’t expecting a coach so young like Coach Dillingham to be this good,” Iosua admitted. “He knows his stuff. His excitement for me to be there was just unbelievable. He and the other coaches just made me love the place.
“I liked watching spring practice today (Saturday) and seeing how Coach Tuitele coaches the guys. He puts them under pressure to see how they do. He said that before practice, they were watching a film, and they (the offensive line) were doing well. He didn’t want them to feel comfortable going into practice. He wants to prepare them for the big games where the last down really counts.”
Iosua, who transferred to Bishop Gorman from the IMG Academy in Florida, grew up in the Honolulu area along with another ASU offensive lineman commit, Filiva’a Saluni, and much like his future teammate, he will also go on an LDS mission out of high school. While Saluni will be at Arizona State in 2026, Iosua will join him and the rest of the Sun Devils in 2027. The fact that just in the last year, the Sun Devils have had tremendous success adding Polynesian players to the team was another aspect that played a significant role in his decision today.
“Having these special connections with Poly kids is big for me,” Iosua remarked. “It’s like family and we are all connected together.”
The lineman, who also had offers from Washington and Arizona, will officially visit Tempe during the season to experience a gameday environment. Iosua is ASU’s fourth pledge of the 2025 class, joining four-star quarterback Michael “Butter” Tollefson, fellow offensive lineman Matai Jefferson, and defensive back Joseph Smith.
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