BYU Football Commit: Hank Tuipulotu (Class of 2016)

July 4, 2015 Tyler Christensen Football 0

Hank Tuipulotu, aka the “Tongan Tank”, made a verbal commitment July 4, 2015 to play for the BYU football Class of 2016 after leading the entire country in receptions (125) as a senior. The 6’3” 225 pound TE/WR prepped at Nation Ford (South Carolina) where as a senior he led Ford to the South Carolina semifinal game. On the season he had four carries for 5 yards rushing and 1 TDs, 125 receptions (#1 in the nation) for 1725 yards receiving (13.8 ave.), 9 TDs; one pass completion for 30 yards; seven tackles and one interception.

As a junior (2014) he had 1332 receiving yards (132.8/game), 17 touchdowns and a pair of two-point conversions (all school records). He also caught a school record 18 passes for 167 yards and 3 touchdowns in their season opener against Forestview. He was named to The Herald’s 2014 All-Area first team, All-Region 3-4A first team, the All-Observer first team, and was the Offensive MVP of the cam Newton 7on7 tournament. Tuipulotu is a 4.6 (on 5.0 scale) student who also plays for Nation Ford’s soccer team.

While Tuipulotu is only 2-stars at Scout, and is still unrated by Rivals and ESPN, that hasn’t stopped him from generating interest. He has scholarship offers from Air Force, Appalachian State, BYU, Furman, and South Carolina, and has also seen interest from Clemson, Charlotte, Duke, North Carolina, NC State, Jacksonville, Oregon, Stanford, Utah, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Wake Forest. Tuipulotu is the son of former Cougar great Peter (RB, 1989-91), who also played one season for the San Diego Chargers. His uncle Tom Tuipulotu (RB, 1983-87) was part of BYU’s 1984 National Championship team. He is LDS and has expressed interest in serving a mission at some point.