The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football adds Savea to 2024 newcomers
01.23.2024 | Football
A transfer from Arizona and native of Las Vegas, defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea joins the Longhorns’ 2024 class.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Football has added defensive lineman Tiaoalii Savea (tee-oh-uh-lee-ee saw-vay-uh), a transfer from Arizona and native of Las Vegas, to its 2024 class of newcomers. Savea will enroll at Texas for the spring semester and will be listed as a senior for the 2024 season.
Savea has played in 29 career games, including 19 at Arizona that included two starts after having transferred from UCLA where he spent one season and played in 10 games. With the Wildcats, he accumulated 36 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three pressures, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick in two seasons.
Last season, Savea earned a spot on the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List. He appeared in 12 games with starts against Stanford at nose guard and against Utah at EDGE, collecting 22 tackles, six tackles for loss for 24 yards, 1.5 sacks and three pressures. He tallied multiple tackles in seven games, and against Washington he posted three tackles with two tackles for loss and one sack. Savea helped Arizona to a 10-3 record last year, including a 38-24 win over No. 12 Oklahoma in the Valero Alamo Bowl. All three loses were by seven points or fewer with one coming by seven in overtime at Mississippi State, another by two in triple overtime at No. 9 USC, and the other by seven against No. 7 Washington, which went on to play in the CFP National Championship Game.
In 2022, Savea appeared in seven games during his first season with the Wildcats, totaling 14 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick. The blocked field goal helped Arizona upset No. 9 UCLA, 34-28, at The Rose Bowl, and he also matched his season high of three tackles in that game.
Prior to Arizona, Savea spent one season at UCLA in 2021 and saw time in 10 games along the defensive line. He finished the year with seven tackles after logging multiple stops in each of his last three appearances as a freshman.
An All-America and all-state honoree at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas, Savea was selected to compete in Under Armour All-America Game and the Polynesian Bowl in 2021. He was named first-team Nevada All-State in 2019 and helped lead Desert Pines to an 11-1 record and the NIAA Class 4A state championship game that year. A four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals, he was No. 125 nationally on the ESPN 300 list and a top-10 prospect in state of Nevada by ESPN (1), 247Sports (3) and Rivals (4).
Tiaoalii Savea
(tee-oh-uh-lee-ee saw-vay-uh)
Defensive Lineman
6-4 • 305 • Sr.-TR
Las Vegas, Nev. (Arizona/Desert Pines)
HS Coach: Tico Rodriguez
A transfer defensive lineman from Arizona who has played in 29 career games, including 19 at Arizona that included two starts after having transferred from UCLA where he spent one season and played in 10 games … with the Wildcats, he accumulated 36 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three pressures, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick in two seasons … selected to the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List in 2023 … played in 12 games with starts against Stanford at nose guard and against Utah at EDGE as a junior … collected 22 tackles, six tackles for loss for 24 yards, 1.5 sacks and three pressures … posted four tackles with a half tackle for loss at Mississippi State … registered a tackle for loss against UTEP … started against Stanford and notched two tackles and a half sack … tallied a season-high two tackles for loss with one sack and three total tackles against Washington … also notched three tackles at USC … recorded an 11-yard tackle for loss at Washington State … started against Utah and secured a half tackle for loss and one pressure … closed the season with three tackles, including a half tackle for loss, and one pressure against Oklahoma … appeared in seven games during his first season with the Wildcats in 2022 after transferring from UCLA … totaled 14 tackles (8 solo, 6 assist), 1.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick … registered at least two tackles in six of his seven games … the blocked field goal attempt helped Arizona upset No. 9 UCLA, 34-28, at The Rose Bowl and he also made a season-high three tackles in that game … also recorded three tackles with one tackle for loss at Cal … recovered a fumble and returned it 18 yards to go along with two tackles and a half tackle for loss against Arizona State … spent one season at UCLA in 2021 and saw time in 10 games along the defensive line … finished the year with seven tackles after logging multiple stops in each of his last three appearances as a freshman … an All-America and all-state honoree at Desert Pines High School in Las Vegas … selected to compete in 2021 Under Armour All-America Game … earned spot in the 2021 Polynesian Bowl … a four-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals … ranked No. 125 on ESPN 300 list and the No. 9 defensive tackle ... rated the No. 16 strongside defensive end by Rivals ... a top-10 prospect in state of Nevada by ESPN (1), 247Sports (3) and Rivals (4) … named first-team Nevada All-State in 2019 … helped lead Desert Pines to an 11-1 record and the NIAA Class 4A state championship game in 2019.