Jacks land Army transfer

There will be another defensive lineman in the mix when the South Dakota State football team opens fall camp a week from today.

Tackle Tiano Pupungatoa has signed with the Jackrabbits, according to recruiting coordinator Jesse Currier, opting to transfer from Army. Actually, the 6-foot-4, 280-pounder was at the Army prep school last year as the military academy equivalent of a redshirt – he was due to join the Black Knights this fall.
That stop doesn't count against his eligibility, meaning he'll have five years to play four seasons at SDSU. But ...
"We hope we can contribute this year," Currier said.

Pupungatoa is from River Falls, Wis., where he was a wrestler and a thrower in addition to being a two-star football recruit. (Here are his senior highlights.) The Jacks offered him a scholarship coming out of high school – same with Central Michigan.

He visited Brookings and chose Army instead only to decide after one year that he wanted something different. Likewise, the Tongan (whose full first name is Sepesitiano) potentially brings something different to SDSU and its retooling d-line: Height and athleticism. He's lean for his weight and has a vertical leap in the 30-inch range, Currier said.

The Jacks projected Pupungatoa – the second of six children in his family – as an offensive lineman in the 2013 class because that was an area of need. But he committed to Army on the defensive line, and that's where SDSU plans to use him. In fact, the Jacks were seeking help there when Pupungatoa reached out to Currier, who recruited him the first time.
"You try and wish guys well," Currier said, "and sometimes they end up coming back around."

Terry Vandrovec also posts regular updates on his Twitter page.