Ma’a Gaoteote | #21BuiltStrong
MA'A GAOTEOTE
LINEBACKER | 6-1 | 230Las Vegas, Nev. | Bishop Gorman HS
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and ESPN.com . . . ranked one of the top 100 overall players in the nation by ESPN.com (No. 93) . . . also listed on the Rivals250 (No. 160) top prospect rankings . . . ranked one of 10 best linebackers in the country by Rivals.com (No. 10) and is No. 11 by ESPN.com . . . ranked the No. 1 linebacker and the second-best overall prospect in the state of Nevada by 247Sports and Rivals.com . . . named a Sports Illustrated All-American candidate and a Butkus Award candidate heading into his senior season . . transferred to Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas for his senior season in 2020 but the Gaels did not play in any games this fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic . . . selected to play in the 2021 Polynesian Bowl . . . before attending Bishop Gorman, played at St. John Bosco High School in California as a junior and recorded 61 tackles, including eight tackles for loss and three sacks . . . played his first two seasons of high school at Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas . . . compiled a career-high 75 tackles with two sacks and five TFLs, and also had two fumble recoveries, during his sophomore season at Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas . . . tallied 56 stops, including two sacks and three TFLs, along with an interception, as a freshman . . . his brother, Palaie, was a five-star prospect as an inside linebacker and played at USC in 2018-20.
GAOTEOTE ON MICHIGAN STATE:
“I chose Michigan State because of the love they showed me and I wanted to be a part of that Spartan Dawg defense!”
COACH TUCKER ON GAOTEOTE:
“Ma’a has really good size, build and bulk; he’s very instinctive and tough. He is the QB of the defense, and he plays with good balance and body control. He’s got a good burst to close, and he can anticipate, key in on and diagnose the play. He is constantly one step ahead of the play. He will strike you and does a good job of finishing plays when he makes contact, shows he has three-down value, and is good on the second level playing laterally.”
BIG TIME, welcome to the family @maagaoteote 🤩#21BuiltStrong | #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/y2lnE10r3V
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) December 16, 2020
— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) December 16, 2020