Hawaii DB talks early favorites

One of the top defensive backs in the West region next year will be Kahuku (Hawaii) standout Shiloah Te'o. Te'o is hearing from just about every top program out West and has two offers on the table at this time.

Te'o, 5-11, 185 pounds had an all-region junior season totaling 61 tackles and two picks and helped the Red Raiders to a state championship. Te'o plays corner at the high school level but could also play safety in college as he has the kind of frame that will easily add 15-20 pounds or so in the coming years.

On the recruiting front, Te'o has offers from Hawaii and BYU and is hearing from a host of other schools as well.

"I'm hearing from the whole Pac 10 plus Colorado, Auburn, Tennessee, Buffalo, Army, Utah and UNLV right now," Te'o said. "BYU, Colorado, Washington, Tennessee, Utah, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford and UNLV are probably recruiting me the hardest, they're all sending letters two to three times a week right now.

"If I had to name my early favorites, they would be BYU, Colorado, Hawaii, USC, Stanford, Cal, UCLA and Tennessee. When BYU offered me earlier, I was temped to commit to them.

"My parents want me to go there but said it's up to me. After thinking about it more, I would like to take my visits. I want to see the campus and meet the coaches, talk with the other players. I just want to check everything out so that I could make the best decision for myself.

"My mom said that choosing a college can affect the rest of your life because of the people you meet and the connections you make. So I'm trying to be patient about the whole thing."

This summer, Te'o will attend three camps and they're the same three camps he has been attending since before he started high school.

"I'll be going to the All-Poly camp in Utah plus camps at USC and UCLA," Te'o said. "I have that superstition that athletes have about keeping everything the same. So I will be attending the same three camps going into my senior year. I've been doing that since 8th grade.

"My dad sent me to the camps in California because he wanted to see how my skills stood against the mainland athletes. It has been a good experience and I know that I can compete with the best of them. Actually, it's not the mainland athletes that give me competition, it's the island athletes. The talent here is crazy, everyone plays with heart. We just lack the exposure.

"I really like the intensity of the coaching staff at USC. I remember one year I got an interception in the 7 on 7 drills and Pete Carroll came up and shook my hand. They make us high school players feel like NFL players at their camp. I guess that's what got me hooked on USC in 8th grade but I will go to whatever school I fit into best.

"My uncle, Alema Te'o, actually runs the All-Poly camp. It's a great camp and it is growing every year. I will also visit BYU and Utah while I am there and hopefully, I can get in a day at the BYU camp. I'll also be going to the NIKE Camp at Stanford later this month and I'm looking forward to that as well."