Interview: Hawaii 2017 DE Miki Suguturaga Soaring Up Recruiting Boards with Outstanding Play

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @HogManInLA

A lot of players throughout the country may ask aloud in public or within private company, where would my recruiting be if I played for a bigger school or in a bigger area? Sadly, a lot of Hawaii players may feel that way, and for good reason because there is a lot of top talent in paradise, and one of the many with a legitimate gripe is Punahou High School defensive end Miki Suguturaga.

No other way around it, Suguturaga is a beast on the field for the Buff n’ Blue. Anything heading his way down to the offense’s center can expect to be clobbered on every running play. The total fear Suguturaga puts into opposing quarterbacks will never truly be known, but one can assume the 6-5, 260 pound, talent is the source for as many nightmares as Freddy Kruger at this point.

Exact stats are not kept for the Buff n’ Blue, but game tape does not lie and Suguturaga appears to be as good as any other in the 2017 class. The Honolulu area native can bull rush a left tackle collapsing the pocket or put a move on the tackle taking a quick step to crush a quarterback. Against the run he holds the line and sheds the block doing a great job of keeping containment on the outside. The other great thing about Suguturaga, he still has a lot of upside and growth potential leaving his potential limited only by his own determination.

At this point in the season, at least 16 college coaches would agree with the previous assessment. After helping the Buff n’ Blue to an 8-2 mark in 2015, college coaches from across the country came calling with scholarship offers. The many hopefuls includes Arkansas, Oregon State, San Diego State, UNLV, Vanderbilt, BYU, Colorado, Army, San Jose State, Hawaii, Arizona State, Air Force, Virginia, and Washington State.

The list is sure to grow and would be bigger if more coaches knew about Suguturaga. Both Rivals and 247Sports rates him as a three-star recruit; one could argue Suguturaga deserving of a four-star ranking and not be wrong. The three-star status is still pretty amazing considering Suguturaga plays in Hawaii, not a hotbed for online recruiting sites to cover, and he did not hit the mainland during the off-season to compete in any college or scouting combine camps.

In a Recruiting News Guru exclusive interview, I caught up with Suguturaga to get his thoughts on his abilities on the field and received a recruiting news update.

Interview

Miki, what did you work on this off-season to prepare for your senior year?

“Mostly my speed. I’m always working on the strengths of being a defensive lineman and the use of my hands.”

What are some of the things you improved upon from last year to this year?

“I guess my foot speed and hand speed. I’m getting to the quarterback faster this year. My pass rushing is faster. In Hawaii, we are a passing league. That helps a lot on improving my pass rushing skills. We’ll see how that continues to work.”

What are some of the key parts to your game that make you a force on the field?

“I push hard to try to be the best I can be on each play. Right now I’d say that I work hard to read the plays and contribute to the team as much as I can on each play.”

What goals did you set for the 2016 football season?

“I’m just trying to do my best each play. I want to make sure after each game that I can tell myself I did my best win or lose. I hope that the team can say that as well, that we can say that as a unit.”

I know you are locked in at defensive end, but are the coaches using you in any other way on the field?

“I’m not on offense as much this year. In practice I am playing some tight end. I’ve gone in at tight end for a couple of plays this year already. They are using me mainly as a blocker but I have gone out on passing plays twice. They are throwing to me in practice.”

I’d like to see you catch the ball at 6-5, 260, and then see a poor safety try to bring you down.

(Laughs)

By my count you have 16 offers on the table, is that right?

“Sounds right.”

Of the 16 teams that have offered you, which schools are pushing a little bit harder than the others?

“Utah, Washington State, Army, and BYU are probably pushing a little bit harder. BYU – I have a lot of family there. My family really wants me to go there because of my cousins and uncle in that area.”

Are any other schools showing interest in you but have not offered?

“No. Right now there are no other schools showing interest that have not offered me.”

Do you have any visits lined up either official or unofficial?

“None yet, but I plan to line some up very soon.”

Any idea on where you might visit when the time comes?

“I’m still going over everything with my mom. We’re trying to see which school is the best fit for me.”

You mentioned Utah, Washington State, Army, and BYU as some of the teams in regular contact, I want to ask you about a couple of other schools that have offered. Is Arkansas in contact with you?

“Yes. I have a good relationship with Arkansas. They were just talking to me about the TCU game wanting to know how I felt about that game. I get a lot of direct messages from Arkansas.”

What about Colorado?

“I’m not really that close to the Colorado coaches right now, but they have been staying in touch.”

What about Arizona State?

“I guess they are all kind of the same with weekly checkups making sure I am doing okay. All of them are keeping in touch with me. The coaches are learning a little bit more about me and I am learning a little bit more about them. I’m developing a relationship with each of the coaches from all of the schools.”

Last question, Hawaii has to do things a little bit differently with the schedule because of the size of the area. You have already played two teams you have to play again. Of the games coming up, are there any games you are excited for coming back around?

“We just played on Friday against St. Louis (High School). That was a pretty hyped game (lost 64-44). We played tired in that game. I am hyped for that game coming up in three weeks (Sept. 29). We’ll see what we can do against them the next time around.”

Miki, thanks for your time today and good luck with the rest of your season.

“Thank you.”

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Photo credits: Hawaii Obake Photos; No. 8 Miki Suguturaga in action.