New Leader for Mataele Pauu

Since we first started covering Manhattan Beach (Calif.) Mira Costa defensive lineman Mataele Pau'u at the beginning of his sophomore year, the tackle has been pretty consistent with naming UCLA and Michigan as his top two schools. There has now been a change at the top of Pau'u's list and a different local school now stands on top.

Pau'u, 6-3, 300 pounds earned All-State Underclass honors for the second year in a row this past season after totaling 96 tackles and eight sacks from his defensive tackle position. The athlete added 200 yards and five touchdowns as the team's fullback but projects on the defensive side of the ball.

Pau'u is a huge presence in the middle of the line and commands constant double teams on just about every play. For a big man, the lineman has fairly quick feet and moves well in space. He is being touted by many in the area as the top player the Mustangs have produced since defensive lineman Phil Fonua played on the defensive line some 10 years ago.

On the recruiting front, Pau'u has scholarship offers from UCLA, Oregon, Michigan, San Jose State, Arizona State and San Diego State. He's also hearing from USC, Oregon, Arizona, Notre Dame, Washington, BYU, Penn State and several others.

"I grew up a UCLA fan but USC is my top school right now," Pau'u said. "UCLA, Michigan, Oregon and ASU are the others in my top five. I just like USC's playing style and they're such a dominant program right now. They also have a great coaching staff and I think they'll be winning big for a long time.

"One thing that is important to me is I plan to go on my Mormon mission after high school so the school I commit to has to be willing to let me do that. That's very important to me and something I definitely plan on doing."

Academically, Pau'u is carrying a 2.9 GPA and scored a 970 on the SAT. He'll attend the Nike Camp at San Diego State but is unsure of his other camp plans for the summer.