Over the past few weeks, Steve Sarkisian and the rest of Texas' coaching staff have been doing an excellent job extending their reach to the islands of Hawaii, and that effort could pay off soon in a big way for the Longhorns' defense.
They were recently able to make an impact on and extend an offer to 3-star LB Taualii Purcell from Honolulu, and now it sounds like they could be ascending the ranks for blue-chip LB Toa Satele from Mililani High School in Mililani, HI.
Satele's been on Texas' radar for about a year now, but Will Muschamp and LB Coach Johnny Nansen haven't been pining for him until fairly recently. The reason for that is unknown, but seemingly random bursts of recruiting resources like this usually happen when the coaching staff hears that the player could be making a decision soon.
Hawaii’s top-ranked recruit may have sent Texas a telling signal
The 6'3", 215-pound linebacker recently confirmed his final four schools to Hayes Fawcett, and there's a very good chance that Texas fans will see and hear Satele's name quite a bit going forward as a priority target for Will Muschamp as the 2026 regular season draws near.
With other big schools like Notre Dame, Oregon, and Cal hot on his trail, the Longhorns probably wanted to turn up the heat on the potentially elite second-level defender.
NEWS: Four-Star LB Toa Satele is down to 4 Schools, he tells me for @Rivals⁰⁰The 6’3 225 LB from Mililani, HI is ranked as the No. 4 LB in the 2027 Class (per Rivals Industry)⁰⁰https://t.co/mWmhWbHatq pic.twitter.com/W2GT3JhDSH
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) May 18, 2026
Satele plays much bigger than his listed weight, and his processing skills are through the roof. Watching him line up at either MIKE or WILL and immediately trigger upfield to blow up plays in the backfield is such a welcome sight. He rarely bites on play or run-action, and always seems to be in the right spot both against the run and pass.
It's easy to see why the Longhorns' defensive staff likes him so much, as his versatility and movement skills makes him a perfect fit for Will Muschamp's linebacking core. There are some scouts who even believe that he could develop into a standout pass rusher at the next level with added bulk.
Punahou ATH Toa Satele is the states top defensive prospect in the ‘27 class, has some juice off the edge pic.twitter.com/q0GY8HouCj
— Greg Biggins (@GregBiggins) January 16, 2025
His hand-fighting skills and short-area quickness are the main reasons his best position at the collegiate level could be on the edge, and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see Muschamp utilize him in that type of role on occasion, given how versatile his defensive scheme is.
Greg Biggins, Rivals.com's scouting expert, recently described Satele's versatility perfectly in two sentences:
"Plays both inside and off-ball linebacker, shows natural pass rush skill, and is comfortable playing in space. Fluid mover who can drop and cover and runs well enough to make plays sideline to sideline.
To be 100% honest, Toa Satele gives off a lot of Isaiah Simmons vibes, the former do-it-all linebacker for Clemson from 2016-2019.
If Johnny Nansen can continue developing a great relationship with Satele, there's a chance that Texas could find its next Anthony Hill Jr.-type of linebacker sooner rather than later.
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