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When most recruits arrive on campus, the Arizona State coaching staff will begin to drill in the fundamentals necessary to succeed at the college level. For Dasmond Tautalatasi, that learning curve shouldn't be very steep.
On National Signing Day, Tautalatasi faxed in his letter of intent to the Sun Devils and gave Arizona State a commit from one of the most prestigious high school football teams in the nation: De La Salle.
De La Salle of Concord, Calif. has produced some of the most recognizable teams and players of the last 20 years including former Giants' wide receiver Amani Toomer, Jaguars' great Maurice Jones-Drew, and former Denver Bronco standout D.J. Williams.
Now, Tautalatasi hopes to carve his own legacy and it begins at Arizona State.
A three-year varsity player, Tautalatasi rushed for 1,000 yards as a running back during his junior season before shifting his focus to the defensive side of the ball as a senior. Tautalatasi excelled as a starting safety on a team that lost in the Open Division of the CIF State Finals in December and registered three interceptions during his senior campaign.
Tautalatasi wasn't heavily recruited by Pac-12 schools, but his Rivals profile lists offers from Air Force, Nevada, San Jose State, and Washington State. A 3-star safety according to both Rivals and Scout, Tautalatasi is also one of the top 100 recruits in the state of California for the class of 2014.
Arizona State plans on receiving letters of intent from a few different defensive backs in this year's recruiting cycle, but Tautalatasi's athleticism and high school pedigree should put him at the front of the pack in terms of future contributors.
