CEDAR CITY, Utah -- The Thunderbird football program, and head coach Demario Warren, have announced the team's signing class for the 2021 Early Signing Period.
For the first time, the T-Birds have locked up the majority of their 2021 class in the early signing window.
"This is the biggest early signing high school class we have ever had," Warren said. "We have really signed some smart, tough, talented young men that are going to fit our culture and make us a better football team. We addressed some key depth areas up front with signing half of our class at the TE and DL positions. Our recruiting coordinators Kenan Smith, Uani Unga and Sam Elliott did a great job of organizing recruiting through all the COVID restrictions. And the Entire Coaching Staff did a great job of building relationships and identifying guys that want to be at SUU."
Tafao Amataga, DT, 6-1, 265, Las Vegas, Nevada (Bishop Gorman High School)
Making his way to Cedar City via the Las Vegas pipeline, Tafao Amataga will be joining the Thunderbirds from Bishop Gorman High School.
"Tafao will be one of the strongest freshmen we have ever brought in," Warren said. "He is another addition to our defensive line and another commitment to becoming a more physical football team. He will be another great productive player from the city of Las Vegas. His burst and strength will give him the opportunity to compete at this level early in his career."
Amataga was part of the 2018 Nevada State Championship team with Bishop Gorman, and was a Nevada Preps All-Southern Honorable Mention following the 2019 season. He was named a Team Captain for the 2020 season.
In the 2019 season he had 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks on the defensive line.
He was also a member of the 2019 Academic Honor Roll.
Jackson Berry, QB, 6-1, 200, Prosper, Texas (Prosper High School)
Jumping from Prosper, Texas to Cedar City, quarterback Jackson Berry has signed on with the Thunderbirds.
"Coach Wade identified Jackson as one of the best QB prospects available early in the process," Warren said. "He is a great leader and competitor in the highest level of Texas Football. We are ecstatic to add him to the T-Bird family."
Berry became an all-time great at Prosper High School, setting the school record for yards and touchdowns in a career, as well as in a single season.
In 2019 he completed 210 passes for 3,129 yards and 37 touchdowns. He also had eight rushing touchdowns.
He was a two-time recipient of First Team All-District honors in both years starting at quarterback, along with being a three-year letterwinner. He was also a two-time member of the Academic All-District Team while serving as a team captain for two seasons.
Judah Ezinwa, TE, 6-3, 230, Rancho Cucamonga, California (Etiwanda High School)
Keeping the California to Southern Utah connection strong, Judah Ezinwa has committed to the Thunderbirds by way of Rancho Cucamonga.
"Tight end was a positional need for us and Judah was the first TE to commit to us," Warren said. "We believe he has the versatility to make a huge impact within our offense. He's athletic, he's physical, and has a great mindset. He will be a young man that I am very excited to see how we utilize him in our offense as he develops."
Dylan Flowers, CB, 5-11, 175, Playa Del Rey, California (St. Bernard High School)
An addition to the program from Playa Del Rey, California, Dylan Flowers will be joining the Thunderbirds after a prep career at St. Bernard High School.
"Dylan is a great fit for our program," Warren said. "We talk about being smart, tough and relentless, and he embodies all three characteristics. He is a student of the game, understands the defensive scheme as well as trying to give the QB different looks. He is tough mentally and physically, and he is relentlessly trying to improve his game. Dylan will be a great addition to our talented secondary."
During the 2019 season, Flowers had 43 total tackles, nine pass deflections and an interception in just two appearances.
Dukari Glover, RB, 5-11, 200, Hayward, California (Stellar Preparatory)
Joining a young stable of running backs, Dukari Glover will head to Southern Utah University from Stellar Preparatory in Hayward, California.
"Dukari is a dynamic back out of the Bay Area," Warren said. "His combination of size and speed gets me excited because he has the ability to make you miss or run through you. Dukari has a great work ethic and I cannot wait to get him in our program."
Devon Sa-Chisolm, WR, 6-1, 185, Lahaina, Hawaii (Orem High School)
Staying in the state of Utah to continue his football career on the Division I level, Devon Sa-Chisolm will be making the trip down I-15 from Orem High School to join the Thunderbirds. Sa-Chisolm is originally from Lahaina, Hawaii, but completed his prep career in the state of Utah.
"There were a ton of great WR's on our board and Devon definitely stood out," Warren said. "He has great quickness, strong hands, size, speed, and we feel he has the potential to be a very productive receiver in the Big Sky."
As a four-time state champion, Sa-Chisolm is no stranger to winning. In 2019 he was named Maui Interscholastic League First Team wide receiver and defensive back, following up a 2018 All-Hawaii Honorable Mention nod.
David Spjut, WR, 5-10, 180, Kaysville, Utah (Davis High School)
Joining the Thunderbirds from Davis High School, David Spjut will be continuing his football journey in Cedar City.
"David is a big time addition to our wide receiver corps," Warren said. "We have had a ton of success with guys that possess his skill set at the slot position and he will add to that legacy after he serves a mission. He is competitive, mature and a student of the game."
Spjut caught 72 passes for the Darts this past season, moving the offense forward 1,444 yards and breaking into the endzone on 11 different occasions.
Nathan Suaste, TE, 6-5, 230, Salt Lake City, Utah (Hunter High School)
Staying in his home state for his Division I football career, Nathan Suaste will be joining the Thunderbirds from Hunter High School.
"Nathan was the third tight end to commit to us and we are excited he did," Warren said. "He has the potential to be a phenomenal TE. He has a lot of work to do to gain the weight it will take for him to reach that potential but he has the right mindset to do so. I cannot wait to get him in the weight room to see how quickly he can develop.
Suaste was a First Team All-State performer for the 2020 season. He was also recognized as an All-Region performer following both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. He now holds the Hunter High School record for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns.
This previous season he caught 54 passes for 823 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2019, he caught 49 for 882 yards and 15 touchdowns, proving himself as a massive threat.
Mata'ava Ta'ase, TE, 6-3, 240, Mesa, Arizona (Mountain View High School/Gila CC)
Moving from Gila Community College to Southern Utah, Mata'ava Ta'ase will be joining the Thunderbirds after some time on the junior college level.
"Mata'ava is the one junior college recruit we will sign this year," Warren said. "He was a need and a perfect fit for our program. He is a returned missionary, married, and we were mutually excited about the fit. He is also a young man that will step into a role day one of him being on campus. He is another physical TE that we will be able to utilize in establishing our run game and he is athletic enough to create mismatches in the pass game."
During his senior season at Mountain View High School, he caught 94 passes for 1,323 yards and 11 touchdowns. From 2013-15, he had 16 touchdown passes over the three seasons.
Chad Tasi, DT, 6-1, 280, Pittsburg, California (De La Salle High School)
Another addition from the state of California, Chad Tasi will be joining the Thunderbird defensive line after a prep career at De La Salle High School.
"Chad is a big time player from a big time program," Warren said. "We wanted to become more physical up front and Chad definitely fits the bill. He already plays with great technique, great pad level, and a great motor. This defensive line recruiting class is going to put the group back into the discussion of the elites in FCS football, and Chad will be a major part of that."
Tasi was honored with First Team All-League, Bay Area All-Metro Team and CalHiSports All-State Junior Team honors during his high school tenure.
Joe Tongamoa, DT, 6-2, 280, Hayward, California (St. Francis High School)
Making the transition from St. Francis High School in Hayward, California, Joe Tongamoa will be joining the Thunderbird football program.
"We got Joe," Warren said. "Joe knows how I feel about him and how he fits into our program. He is going to be an instrumental, productive part of SUU football. He has the versatility to play multiple positions across the defensive line. We have built championshipship defenses through our defensive line and he is going to be a great addition to this group that we have been building the last couple years."
He was named to the 2019 All-West Catholic Athletic League, as well as being on the Academic Honor Roll.
During the 2019 season, Tongamoa had 57 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks for 28 yards. He also scored three touchdowns on the year as well on the ground.
Jonah Wright, OL, 6-7, 290, Peoria, Arizona (Peoria High School)
Joining the Thunderbird offensive line from Peoria High School in Arizona, Jonah Wright has signed on to be a member of the SUU football program.
"We were very selective at offensive line and Jonah was a main target for us because of his upside," Warren said. "We believe he is coming into a great position to learn from our veteran tackles. He has the same build and raw ability coming into our program as those guys did. We are excited to add him to the T-Bird family."
Wright was a First Team All-West Valley Region honoree following the 2020 season after being named to the 4A Preseason All-State team. He helped lead his team to a playoff selection.
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