Preston Taumua via X
2024 Husker Signee Analysis: Offensive Lineman Preston Taumua
It's not easy to lure Polynesian players away from the West Coast. By and large, the top players end up at USC, Oregon, Washington, Utah, UCLA and BYU, with other regional schools also being primary landing spots.
The Huskers, through multiple different coaching staffs, have made overtures in Hawaii for years. Ron Brown was the point man for Bo Pelini and repeatedly tried going over to pull players. No luck.
Then Mike Riley assigned Mark Banker, Tavita Thompson and Mike Cavanaugh to attempt to pull players from the state. Not even the seasoned Pac-12 coaches could make headway.
Scott Frost had minimal success with Tony Tuioti helping the Huskers land California WR Kanawai Noa through the transfer portal in 2019 and signing Wynden Ho’ohuli in 2021 - although the linebacker left Lincoln after six months on campus to return home to play for Hawaii.
All of those coaches wanted to tap into the talent on the Islands and replicate the success Nebraska had during its heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Nebraska had several prominent players from the state during that era. Letterwinners include Dominic Raiola (1998-2000), Toniu Fonoti (1999-2001), Junior Tagoa'i (2000-02), Tony Tata (2000) and Cornealius Fuamatu-Thomas (2005).
Matt Rhule's no different. He's hoping to reopen an avenue into the Aloha State and with a roster that already includes native Hawaiian Ben Scott, along with Polynesians like Dylan Raiola, Sua Lefotu and Brodie Tagaloa, he's taking steps toward getting the Huskers to that point.
He seems to have the right coach to do it. The Raiola name is still revered on the Islands and Nebraska's O-line coach was able to parlay his personal story and provide a road map to the best player in Hawaii - and one of the top linemen in the Western region.
Preston Taumua saw his recruiting profile skyrocket the summer prior to his junior season after participating in the inaugural ESPN300 Elite Underclassmen Camp held in Maui. With over 350 participants on hand, Taumua earned Top Performers honors and became one of the most sought-after players in the state.
Go here for more from Jeremy Pernell’s series.
He came into the event with just one Big Sky offer (Northern Arizona) to his name, but by the time he finished his junior season he'd added Power Five tenders from Arizona, Oregon, Utah, Ohio State, Florida, Oklahoma, Alabama, BYU and Texas A&M.
Nebraska was also one of those early offers, with interim head coach Mickey Joseph extending him an offer on Oct. 20, 2022. Offensive line coach Donovan Raiola, who was born in Honolulu and played at Kamehameha Schools before suiting up for Wisconsin, quickly took up the charge and built a great bond with Preston.
Raiola continued to recruit Taumua during the transition period after Joseph wasn't named the permanent head coach - even while he was unsure if he would be retained by Matt Rhule. With Raiola staying on staff, Taumua's recruitment under the new regime was seamless.
Preston continued to receive national attention as the calendar flipped to 2023, with Power Five programs Auburn, Arizona State, Cal, Miami, Oregon State, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington extending offers that spring.
Unfortunately, just as his stock was hitting its peak, he suffered a setback. While training for a 5-on-5 tournament in Las Vegas in February, Taumua felt his knee pop and was diagnosed with a torn ACL. Preston had accepted the idea that he might miss his senior season, but he still attacked his rehab. After a few weeks post-surgery, Taumua was walking laps around his school's practice field.
His recruitment didn't skip a beat, however, as teams never wavered or backed off from him. In late May, Taumua announced a top five of Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Nebraska and Oregon. He took official visits to Arizona (June 2-4), Auburn (June 16-18), Nebraska (June 19-21) and Oregon (June 23-25) and an unofficial visit to USC as well.
For the majority of his recruitment, Oregon and Auburn were considered his co-leaders. He'd been the No. 1 O-line target for Hugh Freeze ever since he took over the Tigers program.
Taumua grew up a Ducks fan and idolized Penei Sewell, a player he has been compared favorably to over the last couple years. Sewell was the youngest player to ever win the Outland Trophy before moving on to the NFL, and was just named first-team All-Pro with the Detroit Lions.
Coming into his visits, the Huskers were admittedly running last. Taumua called Nebraska a "filler visit," but it exceeded all expectations. He really connected with Rhule while he was in Lincoln and came away with a completely different opinion of the Husker program. He was one of only two visitors during his mid-week visit, so he got plenty of one-on-one time with the staff. Even so, he (silently) committed to Oregon a few days later during his trip to Eugene.
When he got back home following all of his visits, he and his parents went over the pros and cons of each stop. Taumua no longer felt confident in his decision. He couldn't shake the feeling he got at Nebraska. He and his parents kept going back to the family vibe they felt inside the building.
Preston was intrigued by Nebraska being in the beginning stages of a rebuild. Rhule has successfully rebuilt programs at multiple schools, and he liked the idea of being part of the class that was the foundation of the turnaround.
Taumua called Husker coaches on July 3 and told them he was going to commit to them. Like he did with Oregon, he sat on the decision for a while to make sure it felt right.
On July 7, Taumua announced he was down to five teams: Nebraska, Oregon, Arizona, Auburn, and Alabama and set a commitment date of July 16. He announced his commitment to the Huskers live on 247Sports’ YouTube channel.
Taumua played his first three years at Aiea High School but decided to transfer to Waipahu the summer before his senior year. There were a few reasons. He'd initially wanted to enroll early and Aiea wouldn't let him. Additionally, a coach and one of his best friends transferred to Waipahu as well.
Taumua worked quickly back from his spring knee injury. He was cleared to return in October and made his on-field debut as Waipahu was in the midst of its run to the state title. The Marauders ended the season by defeating Konawaena High School 53-28 to win the Oahu Interscholastic Association Championship.
Despite missing the majority of his senior season, Taumua finished the 2024 cycle rated a four-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, who also ranks him the No. 182 player in the class.
His knee injury prevented him from participating in the ESPN300 Elite Underclassmen Camp during the summer - the same camp he dominated the year before. Had he been healthy and performed as expected, he likely would have earned an invitation to the Under Armour All-American Game.
Even so, he was selected to play in the Polynesian Bowl and was the starting left guard for Team Mauka.
Taumua played left tackle in high school but most schools recruited the 6-foot-4, 320-pounder as a swing lineman who could ultimately play all-five positions along the line. When he was originally offered by Mickey Joseph, the previous staff - including Raiola - told him they liked him as a tackle.
It's more likely he starts his career on the interior under the new regime, but I think he could get a look at tackle as well. He looked natural as a bookend when he was completely healthy as a junior. He's athletic and shows really good lateral mobility. He has great feet and balance and is a natural knee-bender with good power and agility.
It would have been nice if his grades had allowed him to enroll early like he originally planned. If he shows no ill effects of the knee injury moving forward, I wouldn't be surprised if he's pushing for a guard spot in 2025. He should be a key building block on the O-line moving forward.
