Former Arizona State Standout Continues NFL Draft Board Rise
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TEMPE -- Saga Tuitele has served as one of the more under-the-radar coaches from within the Arizona State football program over the last several seasons.
The offensive line coach was one of head coach Kenny Dillingham's initial hires when taking over the program following a challenging 2022 campaign.
Tuitele has done a noteworthy job over the last three seasons, including playing a hand in developing a former JUCO addition in RT Max Iheanachor, who didn't start playing football until a few years ago.
Iheanachor's rise has been nothing short of meteoric in recent seasons - the multiple productive seasons have placed him firmly in legitimate NFL draft prospect territory, with NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah going as far to rank the former Sun Devil as the number 41 prospect come April.
What Makes Iheanachor Special?
"Iheanachor is a raw, talented right tackle. He moved with his family to Los Angeles from Nigeria when he was 13 years old. He played soccer and basketball growing up, but he didn’t play football in high school. He started playing football in junior college and rapidly developed. His tape isn’t perfect, but it’s full of clues hinting he could end up being one of the best offensive linemen in this year’s draft class. In pass pro, he jumps out of his stance and stays square."
He is often late to punch, exposing his chest, but he still has the strength to absorb and anchor. He’s very athletic to redirect and smother counter moves. In the run game, he has knock-back power. He moves well on pulls and second-level blocks. It might take a little time, but Iheanachor has the raw tools to develop into a high-level starter."
Iheanachor was a mainstay in Tuitele's line arrangement during the 2024 and 2025 seasons after beginning to see the field in the latter half of 2023. The JUCO transfer was instrumental in providing pass protection for Sam Leavitt - particularly during the Big 12 championship season two years ago.
While there are still concerns about the raw nature of the right tackle's game, as well as how fast his game will translate to the NFL - there is little denying the frame and talent that is being brought to the plate, as well as an impressive technique for a player that just began his football career in the early part of the decade.
Arizona State's 2026 OL Situation Shaping up
The Sun Devils are set to replace at least three starting players from the offensive line in 2026 - including Iheanachor. The program went the JUCO route to presumably fill one of the spots once again in adding the top player in the sphere in 6'8" tackle Jarmaine Mitchell, who flipped from Georgia to Arizona State.
Iheanachor is a prime example that Arizona State now has the coaches to cultivate NFL talent at any position - the program will certainly continue to look to build off of recent momentum in the best manner that they can.
Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..
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Kevin Hicks is an Arizona State alumni and now serves as the Arizona State Beat Writer On SI.