In the last recruiting visit weekend before the dead period, ASU landed its seventh 2025 class addition on the offensive line. 6-6, 330-pound Riverside (Calif.) Community College player Doughless Teloma, who played for the Tigers the last two years after prepping at Corona (Calif.) Centennial High School committed to the Sun Devils and is expected to arrive in Tempe in the summer.
“Just as I started blowing up in the recruiting world, Coach Saga (ASU OL coach Saga Tuitele) was the first one to really show interest and initiative," Teloma remarked, "and that sparked a lot for me. As soon as he found out about me, he called me up, asked me where I was gonna be at, and flew over to where I was staying in Santa Barabra. He took like two flights to come to see me. The minute he came to my doorstep, he went straight to show me how much he wanted me to play for him.
“First and foremost, he's a great coach, and he's a great person as well. And then, obviously, he's a family man, and he emphasized family a lot. He's very wise and spread a lot of knowledge to me. He likes me at guard (Teloma played in all 12 games for the Tigers at both guard spots) and how I can move guys from point A to point B, dominating guys against their will and taking them where I want them to go.”
Teloma was offered by UCLA, UNLV, San Diego State, and Fresno State, among others. His ASU offer came literally 24 hours before he visited Tempe this past weekend, and needless to say, his trip to ASU was an impactful one.
“I love their hospitality, man,” Teloma described. “That ASU hospitality is no joke. They showed me how much they wanted me, for sure. They actually blew me away in that they were able to get us there so quickly (after the offer). I loved the island time and island vibes on the visit. More often than not, when you're around a Polynesian culture, you're surrounded by family, And that brotherhood was very important to me. (ASU defensive lineman) Jacob Kongaika and (ASU offensive lineman) Kyle Scott hosted me. I knew Kyle because he was at Riverside before I got there. I saw him play, and I saw how aggressive he was, so obviously, I wanted to follow him, take some skill sets from him, and make them my own.
"It was really important to see somebody from Riverside like him succeed at ASU. They spoke greatly about Coach Dillingham and said that they're a player's coach. The coaches will first and foremost put your best interests in mind, and they will take care of you.”
The Tigers were California State champions in 2023 and were co-national champions that season. They were also in the National Southern League Championship this past season. To date, Teloma is the only junior college addition for ASU in the 2025 class. The offensive lineman, who is projected at guard, is another example of ASU's effective efforts in landing Polynesian players. It has signed eight Polynesian players prior to Teloma's pledge with four of them joining him on the offensive line. The other 2025 offensive linemen signed in the 20255 class are Matai Jefferson, Alema Iosua, RJ Lapuaho, Maki Stewart, Desean Bryant Jr, and Manamo’ui Muti.
Teloma knows that the expectations of junior college transfers are usually much higher than the ones placed on incoming freshmen. With the left guard role vacated by senior Ben Coleman, who is poised to assume the starting center position, ASU's newest 2025 class addition is likely to battle for that niche that Coleman played on the Sun Devils’ front five.
“First and foremost, I'm expecting to work for sure to work hard,” Teloma stated.” I'm not expecting any handouts, and I know I got to earn my spot, earn where I belong and outwork everybody that's there. That's what I'm expecting.
“I know it's going to be a long and tedious journey, but it will happen.”
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