Tayler Katoa
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, Tayler Katoa and his dad pose for a photo during an unofficial visit
(Courtesy of Tayler Katoa)
Rivals three-star quarterback Tayler Katoa is only a sophomore in high school, but he's already weighing heavy options with his first three college offers.
Utah was the first program to believe in him, BYU is the alma mater of both his parents and Oregon State is the future home of two of Katoa's cousins.
First offer, the parents' legacy or joining the family, that's the decision Katoa already faces, but so far, he's taking it all in stride.
Oregon State is the most recent program to extend a scholarship, and also led to the most half-hearted pressure, as both Thor and Zach Lopini Katoa signed with the Beavers in Gary Andersen's first recruiting class in Corvallis.
"They always are joking around constantly about us all being at Oregon State," he said. "They've been joking about it for awhile now, and I got an offer and they were all excited. They were texting me, but they've always been fun about it."
The conversation, however, turns a bit more serious when Katoa discusses what it would mean to see those five letters printed on the backs of three different Beavers jerseys on the same sideline.
"Family is family. That'd be really cool," he said. "Three Katoas on Oregon State would be a pretty neat thing. I'm really grateful. It's my first out-of-state offer, so I think it's really cool that they are one of the first out-of-state schools to jump on board. It means a lot, because I have family there."
That family connection, however, might be secondary to Katoa's long-time BYU fandom. Having both a mother and father who competed for the Cougars in college, Katoa grew up a passionate BYU supporter and considered it one of his dream offers as a child.
"My dad played football there, my mom ran track," he said. "Growing up, BYU was one of my favorite schools. It was always BYU (against) Utah, and I would always support BYU because of my dad. I think it's really cool, because it's kind of my dad's legacy, and now that they've offered me and are recruiting me, it means a lot because we've gone there so many times before."
Just as many recruits are swayed by their fandom, others are even more loyal to the first school that offered them a scholarship. For Katoa, that means considering the family's longtime rival, Utah.
"They were my first offer, and of course Utah is in the Pac-12," he said. "They finished (in the top 25) last year, and that's big to me. They are the in-state Pac-12 school, so that makes a huge difference."
Some athletes never have to consider family loyalty when making a college decision, and while Katoa has his family's support, there's no doubt he's being pulled in a few different directions early in the recruiting process.
Not that it has been a factor yet.
"I still have a time and things can change, so I haven't prioritized what schools are at the top," he said.
-- Andrew Nemec
anemec@oregonian.com
@AndrewNemec