Samu Taumanupepe knows there will be a time when he’ll have to turn his focus towards recruiting, but as the calendar flips to June and a lot of prospects are gearing up for official visits, Taumanupepe has other priorities higher on his list. The Humble Atascocita defensive tackle has yet to lock in any official visits for this summer, and said he’s instead focused on working on his body and his academics.

“I might do my visits right after the football season,” Taumanupepe said. “I want to focus on my football going on right now and focus on school. We start summer workouts next week. I want to get down to 350 (pounds). That’s my only goal - that and being a leader.”

Taumanupepe said he tipped the scales at as high as 415 pounds at times during his junior season. His hard work this spring has paid off and he’s currently down to about 380, leaving him 30 pounds from his desired goal.

Though he’s kind of put recruiting on the back burner, Taumanupepe does still stay in touch with a number of schools that have extended scholarships. One of those programs is the Texas Longhorns.

“Texas is one of my top three schools, really. My top three would maybe be Texas, Oregon, maybe (Texas) Tech. I can’t make a top three though for sure - lots of schools are showing a lot of love. Baylor is up there too,” Taumanupepe said.

Along with Texas, Oregon and Texas Tech, Taumanupepe listed schools like TCU, Houston and Texas A&M that are showing attention. He has a visit planned for Houston for June 11 and said he’ll “for sure” get back down to Austin for a visit at some point this summer. A big part of the draw for the Longhorns is defensive line coach Bo Davis and what he’s been able to accomplish as both an NFL and college coach.

“I like coach Bo Davis. I like him, everything he did at the NFL, then he came and did it in college,” Taumanupepe said. “If he can do it in both places, he can lead me in a good place.”

Size is an obvious factor in Taumanupepe’s game, and he’s confident as he continues to fine-tune his body that he’ll become an even better weapon in the trenches.

“What I bring to the table - people see me they think I’m a guard. I’m not a guard. I’m a big D-lineman that can move. And I can take up two gaps,” Taumanupepe said. “If I get down to 350, I’ll be running around all the gaps.”

Taumanupepe is ranked as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com.