Notre Dame Standing Out Early For Dynamic Safety Matai Tagoa'i

The 2025 recruiting class is littered with talent defenders, seemingly loaded at basically every position. One of the most unique defensive players in the class is Las Vegas (Nev.) Faith Lutheran star safety Matai Tagoa'i.

A massive safety with surprising athleticism, it’s hard not to see a little bit of Kyle Hamilton when you pop on Tagoa’i’s film. Clearly the Irish staff sees some of those same qualities. The program has already stood out to the Nevada native.

"Tennessee for sure, Oklahoma and Notre Dame (are standing out),” explained Tagoa’i. "They all keep it consistent when it comes to contacting me. Those three are definitely the biggest ones who have been keeping it consistent.

“When I think of Notre Dame, I think of the culture," he continued. "That culture separates them for me. I’m a big dude on culture and I’d really love to be a part of the culture that they have built. That includes academics and football. I feel like it would be a great fit for me.”

Having that type of early opinion on Notre Dame is a good sign. As a 2025 recruit, relationships won’t begin to really build until his junior year really begins.

"Right now recruiting is going pretty smoothly,” Tagoa’i said. "I’m really in that stage of trying to develop relationships with schools that have offered me so far. I’m just trying to go deeper into the coaching staff and develop those relationships really.”

When schools have been able to communicate, Notre Dame has been able to connect well. There’s one coach in particular who has built a nice relationship early on.

"Coach (Chris) O’Leary, that’s my dude,” he stated. "We do have a pretty solid relationship right now. We talk a couple of times every month.”

The deeper conversations will only begin to intensify. The early pitch, however, has been very well received by Tagoa’i.

"Their message to me has been to stay in the books and keep my grades up,” he said. "They say to be a good person off of the field just as I am on the field, keeping it at the same level at everything you do in life. That’s something I really value about them.”

Tagoa’i is considered a consensus four-star and near top 200 recruit nationally by every major recruiting platform. He ranks highest on the 247Sports ranking, sitting as the No. 145 overall player and No. 11 safety in the 2025 recruiting class. On3 has him pegged as the No. 2 player in the state of Nevada.

The 6-4, 190-pound defender has a long list of suitors, including some of the premier programs in college football. Some of his notable offers currently include Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama, USC, Penn State, Oregon, Tennessee, Auburn, UCLA and Ole Miss among others.

As a sophomore, Tagoa’i developed into a dominant force for Faith Lutheran. He finished second on the team with 73 total tackles in 10 games. Tagoa’i also recorded six tackles for loss, an interception, nine pass breakups and recorded two fumbles.

While he only had sporadic chances on offense, Tagoa’i also hauled in seven receptions for 103 yards.

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