Exclusive: Arizona Commit Manoah Faupusa Breaks Down His Decision

The month of June was a busy recruiting period for Arizona football as head coach Brent Brennan and his staff hauled in 11 of the current 20 commitments following official visits to Tucson. 

This past Saturday Arizona’s coaching staff after landing a commitment from defensive lineman Keytrin Harris and then seeing three-star defensive lineman Manoah Faupusa joining the class by announcing his commitment to the program.

Coming in at 6-foot-2, 380 pounds, Faupusa is bringing some serious size to the Arizona defensive line. He is from Santa Margarita, Calif. out of Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Before picking the Wildcats, Faupusa took an official visit on June 20, just four days after visiting Colorado.

Overall, Faupusa picked Arizona over offers from North Carolina and Colorado, which were the final three teams. He also had interest from Cal, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

After the two three-star defensive linemen additions, Brennan’s 2026 class sits at No. 40 according to 24/7 Sports recruiting rankings. Also right now, UA is sixth in the Big 12 sitting one spot behind in-state rival ASU.

Faupusa was a massive recruiting win for Arizona and defensive line coach Joe Salave’a as they try to bolster the heart of the defense. So, we at Arizona WIldcats On Si reached out to him and asked him five questions to give you, the fans, a better understanding of his recruitment.

Q: What stood out to you on your official visit to Tucson?

Faupusa: “The thing that really stood out to me was my meeting with coach Salave’a. On my other OV’s when it came to my 1-on-1 meeting with the coaches, they showed my highlights and gave me my praise, which felt good. But when it came to Salave’a, he showed me what I did wrong in the game and coached me through how to fix my mistakes,” he said. “Which was already making me into a better football player. This helped me to know that he will always be the guy to keep it straight with me, which is exactly the type of coach I need.”

Q: What does it mean to you to have players on the roster so involved and interested in the recruiting process?

Faupusa: “It means a lot to have all the guys involved, it feels really good as a recruit when NFL guys like Tetairoa McMillan come back just for our OV,” he said.  “But also, as a little brother to them in the Juice County community, having them there really shows that family environment that they have out in Tucson.”

Q: How important was it for you to go to a school that has a strong Polynesian history and understands the community?

Faupusa: “It’s a significant factor to me, seeing guys that look like me and come from the same place as me doing what I want to do in the future helps a lot with making my decision.”

Q: How is your relationship with coach Salave’a?

Faupusa: “Coach Salave’a and I have a great relationship that’ll only develop with the years to come,” he said. “He’s the guy that’s going to always tell me straight when I’m wrong and he’s going to always keep me in check. He’s been recruiting me since he was at Oregon and Miami as well. So you can see the type of relationship that we have based on how long he’s been going after me.”

Q: Why is Brennan the right coach for you?

Faupusa: “Coach Brennan is a great guy,” he said. “He’s definitely a leader of men, and a guy I want to be following. He sets great examples. Because of the man he is, is the reason I’d want to follow him!.”

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