Saga Tuitele

Sun Devil Football head coach Kenny Dillingham went with another veteran name for his first coaching staff with the addition of Fresno State's Saga Tuitele as ASU's offensive line coach.   Tuitele has seen immense success in run-first programs such as Army, New Mexico and Cal Poly over the course of his career.    "No program is successful without the efforts of the big boys up front and there aren't many coaches in the country with as much experience in exceptional rushing offenses as Saga Tuitele," Dillingham said. "His lines are road graders that don't let defenses get to the quarterback and will help us produce the dynamic sort of offense we want here in Tempe."   Fresno State went 9-4 this season, winning the Mountain West Championship and advancing to the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl in the process. Offensive lineman Bula Schmidt was a second-team All-MWC selection while Mose Vavao and Jacob Spomer earned honorable mention honors.    The Bulldogs had the second-highest graded run-blocking unit in the Mountain West this season according to Pro Football Focus and fourth among all Group of Five programs.    Tuitele joined the Bulldogs' coaching staff as offensive line coach and run game coordinator after having previously coached in that role at Army since 2020.   The 2021 Army squad posted the second-highest rushing rally in the FBS at 280.6 yards per game while Tuitele's line allowed just 0.54 sacks per game - the lowest tally in the FBS. The 2020 roster posted 273.0 rush yards per game (4th in the FBS) and just 0.75 sacks per game (6th in the FBS).   Prior to his time at Army, Tuitele was the offensive line coach and run game coordinator at The University of New Mexico.    During the 2019 campaign at UNM, his line was a strength of the Lobo squad.  The line was the last in the FBS to allow a sack, and tackle Javon Mosely was selected for the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasadena.  A pair of Lobos in Kyle Stapley and Teton Saltes were honorable mention All-Mountain West, and Saltes was a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy.   In 2018, the Lobo offense underwent a change from a true triple option attack, and despite the changes, UNM had a first team Mountain West offensive lineman in Aaron Jenkins. Overall, UNM's offensive line was tasked with pass blocking 365 times, and allowed just 15 sacks in its first year in a passing offense. Tuitele also was able to get a terrific season from Stapley at center, despite not playing the position before. Stapley was 802 of 806 on shotgun snaps with no penalties.   In 2017, despite injuries that decimated the offensive line and three different players starting at quarterback, the Lobos still managed to rush for 2,825 yards and 21 touchdowns.  Offensive lineman Aaron Jenkins anchored the front five and earned plenty of preseason accolades for the 2018 season.   In Tuitele's first season with New Mexico, the Lobos led the nation in rushing yards, rushing yards per game and rushing yards per carry, as well as rushes of 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 yards.  The Lobos also had two 1,000-yard rushers for the first time in school history in Teriyon Gipson and Tyrone Owens.   Gipson led the nation in rushing yards per carry as well.  UNM did all of that with an offensive line that saw three new starters. Additionally, the unit allowed just 12 sacks on the season.   He has also been the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo where he led the Mustang offense to the top of the NCAA FCS charts in terms of points and yards.   For seven seasons at Cal Poly, Tuitele served as the offensive line coach.  He was the co-offensive coordinator from 2009-2012, and the co- was removed from his title for the 2013 through 2015 seasons.   Under Tuitele, Cal Poly led the FCS in rushing yardage from 2013-15, including averaging 387.3 yards per game in 2015.  The Mustangs finished fourth in rushing in 2010, sixth in 2011 and third in 2012.   Prior to Cal Poly, he served as the offensive line coach at Army under offensive coordinator Tim Walsh, whom he also coached with and played under at Portland State.  Tuitele coached the defensive line at Portland State, helping the Vikings lead the Big Sky in total defense, rushing defense and scoring defense in 2004.   Tuitele was a two-time All-Big Sky performer at Portland State, earning honorable mention All-America honors as a senior offensive guard after starting his career as a defensive tackle, where he played for two seasons.   Tuitele earned a bachelor's degree in social science from Portland State in 2002.  Tuitele was an All-CIF Southern Section and All-State defensive lineman at Pacific High School in San Bernardino in the mid-1990s.   Tuitele and his wife, Rachel, have four children, To'omalatai, Tifaimoana, Saga III and Teuila.