Recruiting analyst predicts five-star OL Francis Mauigoa to land with Tennessee

It sure seems like Tennessee has something brewing in the class of 2023. Already armed with five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Josh Heupel and the Volunteers are gunning for more.

They’ve been coming after a handful of IMG Academy products recently, lining up visits and getting those elite prospects to Knoxville. The latest one to visit is Francis Mauigoa, a five star offensive lineman.

Coming off of that visit, On3’s Chad Simmons now predicts Mauigoa will land with Tennessee.

Tennessee didn’t even appear in Mauigoa’s top schools list earlier in the year. However, with Tennessee’s presence around IMG this year, they were able to get him to Knoxville anyways. Now it seems like they’re in the very thick of the battle.

Per On3’s Consensus Rankings, Mauigoa is the tenth ranked player in the class. He’s the second ranked tackle in the group, manning the right tackle position for IMG. He may kick over to the left side this season.

The 6-5, 327 pounder is from American Samoa. He had two brothers that played college football before him, both attending Washington State.

One factor at play here — Nico Iamaleava, who has taken on the role of a lead recruiter for the Volunteers since committing. He was once again in town this weekend, helping the staff convince Mauigoa to be his future protector.

One of the key factors in Tennessee’s pitch has been Long Beach (Calif.) Long Beach Poly five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava and Mauigoa have really connected on the recruiting trail, and Mauigoa has said Iamaleava is messaging him every day about Tennessee. (On3)

Mauigoa plans to return to Knoxville soon for an official visit, and Iamaleava plans to visit with him once again.

Samuel M’Pemba, Carnell Tate and Devin Hyatt are the other IMG names to keep tabs on this summer.