Elite 2021 TE Moliki Matavao breaks down interest in Tennessee, upcoming visit plans and more
Tennessee recently made the top 10 for elite 2021 tight end Moliki Matavao of Liberty HS (NV). Matavao has had an interest in the Vols since they offered him in March of 2019. Matavao breaks down his interest in the Vols here.
Matavao said on the Vols, "I’ve built a good relationship with a few of the coaches. Coach Numi (Lolohea) stays in the most contact with me, and I’m building a relationship with Coach (Joe) Oz."
Tennessee already had their foot in the door with Henderson prior to Osovet taking over at the position, and now the two parties are working through the transition phase. Matavao said, " I used to have a really good relationship with Coach Niedermyer before he moved to the defensive side."
Niedermeyer spent plenty of time in the area last recruiting cycle, as he prioritized another star tight end from the state in Darnell Washington.
Matavao visited Tennessee during June of last season, and that trip left enough of an impression on him to keep the Vols in the hunt for his services. He said what helped the Vols make the cut was , "The city itself, just the environment of Tennessee football, and playing in the SEC."
He will be back to Tennessee before making a decision sometime around June. He has a slate of visits lined up, as he said, "I’ll be in UCLA Miami Penn State Georgia Michigan Ohio State and Tennessee are planned and planning other visits."
So is the distance a factor when choosing a school for the elite tight end? He answered this by saying, "Proximity isn’t really a big factor. Yes, I would love to have my family at my games, but where I fit best that’s where I’ll go."
Matavao is going to fit all of these visits in while working to improve his craft. He said, "Some goals in the off-season are just to become stronger and faster and just overall improve my blocking, and you know, get better every day."
Matavao is ranked as the 145th overall prospect in the nation, number 4 TE, and Number 1 prospect from the state of Nevada for 2021, according to 247 Sports. He measures in at 6'6, 240lbs.