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SoCal OL Sean Na'a commits to ASU following Tempe visit

St. John Bosco’s offensive lineman Sean Na'a
St. John Bosco’s offensive lineman Sean Na'a (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

Even before he set foot this past weekend on campus, Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco's offensive lineman was plenty excited over the fact that he was pursued by the Sun Devils. Spending time around the ASU coaches and players only enhances that sentiment and led to a pledge just 24 hours after returning from his official visit.

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"Arizona State is a place where I can get developed, both as a player and a person off the field," Na's said. "(offensive line) Coach Saga Tuitele recruited me when he was at Fresno State, “We’ve had a solid relationship, and his personality is real chill. He always keeps it 100 with me; he always tells the truth. So, that’s why I’ve always kept him high on my list. He never tried to sugarcoat stuff, and he really cares about his players.


"The visit was everything I thought it was gonna be, and it was a great experience. I had a great time, and my family had a great time too. The thing that most impressed me was how close the coaches were to each other and how much they cared about their players. You can tell how much the coaches care about this program and want to get to the next level. I look for coaches who not only care about player development about also character development, and they showed me that."


One of the highlights of Na'a's visit was visiting for the first time in person with first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham, whose sense of humor put Na'a even more at ease about the program, as did his two player hosts.


"When he had diner with us, he was running around with a deck of cards doing magic tricks," Na'a recalled while laughing. "He has a lot of energy, and that was great. I was hosted by Leif Fautanu, the center from UNLV that just go there, and on the second day, I was hosted by (returning offensive lineman) Isaia Glass. Leif and I had a bowling competition, and that was a great time. Isaia and I went to the (ASU) basketball game, and that was a good time too. They both answered all my questions about recruiting, the program, and the area around campus.


"I asked them about their impressions of this new staff, and they told me what I basically already saw, and that's that this is a great group of guys that you know really care about the players and the program."


St. Jon Bosco won the state’s CIF Division I Championship last season, and Na’a, a Top 100 California prospect in the 2023 class, also earned second-team MaxPreps All-American honors.


“Coach Tuitele likes athleticism, and he thinks I can play all five positions on the line,” Na’a described in a previous interview, “but he wants me to play inside; he talked about me potentially playing center. I really don’t care where I play as long as I get on the field. In my senior year, my football IQ got way better, especially coming to a place like Bosco, which is the closest thing I could get to being on a college team because I’m going against Division I guys every day at practice.


“It was cool experiencing a big time environment, and even though I played just one year there, I got way better. It was great to have the season that we had.”


Na'a is the 18th ASU pledge from the high school/junior college ranks and the fourth offensive lineman in that group.



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