Check Those Visits, Cowboys Have Mateaki Helu in from Utah
STILLWATER – We weren’t sure that Mateaki Helu was going to make it to the Oklahoma State campus for an official visit. First, Helu committed verbally to Utah back in April and appeared to de-commit, but quickly posted on Twitter that he would not comment further but he still considered himself to be committed to the Utes. That has not stopped schools from pursuing the 6-2, 210-pound athlete from Tooele High School. Helu visited BYU in May and he announced on Twitter Wednesday (June 15) afternoon that he was in Stillwater for an official visit to Oklahoma State. Other schools that offered included California, Baylor, and Nebraska.
Helu has played running back, receiver, safety, and linebacker for the Tooele Buffs. His Hudl lists him as a 4.7 in the forty with a bench press of 225-pounds and squat max of 405-pounds. I am going to call those numbers as being old information. I think he is faster and stronger than listed on Hudl. I see him eventually being a linebacker full-time making a transition from possibly starting out at safety. The “Body by Glass” results will push him toward linebacker. He was chosen already for the Polynesian All-Star Game for Jan. 23 in Hawaii and that game will be televised on the NFL Network.
You watch video on Helu and his versatility stands out, but every bit as much, so does his aggressiveness. It doesn’t matter if he is on offense as a runner or playing defense, he has the habit of going directly at the target and doing damage along the way. He is a physical football player. I saw multiple plays on offense where it appeared that defenders regretted getting in his way. On defense, Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith would have a hard time finding fault with his double leg takedowns.
Last season alone he ran for 1,077-yards and 14 touchdowns. On defense he had 50 tackles and a sack. As a sophomore, he had 32 tackles and a pair of sacks. I like that he is comfortable dropping back in coverage or simply lining up as a safety and covering in man. He is also just as comfortable playing linebacker and attacking the line of scrimmage.
Credit Oklahoma State director of player development Beni Tonga on this one. Tonga is so ingrained and valuable with his relationships in the Polynesian community.
We’ll see how the visit goes through Friday.