Q&A: 2024 TE Roger Saleapaga Talks Oregon Spring Game Visit

The Ducks are staying active in the state of Utah after establishing a pipeline in recent cycles.

Oregon hosted over 100 recruits for the spring game a few weeks ago and one of those recruits was 2024 Orem (UT) High School tight end Roger Saleapaga.

It was his third trip to Eugene and the Ducks have recruited his school before, signing linebacker Noah Sewell out of Orem in the 2020 class.

Below is a transcript of my interview with the 6-foot-4, 213-pound tight end.

Q: What visits do you have coming up? 

Saleapaga: "I'm chilling for the rest of May. I have Tennessee coming up in the first week of June. Then the second week I have an official to Baylor."

Q: What's the latest with your official visit plans?

"Right now I only have Baylor set up."

Q: What schools would you say are in a good spot to get an official visit?

Saleapaga: "Oregon obviously I'm for sure taking one to Oregon and obviously Miami, Utah, Tennessee, Oklahoma and there's other schools but those are the ones I can think of right now. And Iowa. Iowa's one of them too." Oregon only for sure.

Q: What's your decision timeline?

Saleapaga: "So right now I'm planning on dropping my top 10 at the end of summer. Then in the middle of the season or the start of playoffs I'll drop my top five. Probably I would say after our last game I'm gonna commit." 

Q: Do you plan on signing and/or enrolling early?

Saleapaga: "Yeah that's what I'm planning on doing right now is to early enroll."

Q: Had you been to Oregon before?

Saleapaga:"Yeah. It was my third time back in Eugene. I went for the first time (when) I wasn't offered by them. Just to see the school. My sophomore year, my second time it was right when I got offered after my last game. We took a trip to watch them play Washington and last week was my third time down in Eugene." 

Q: Why did you want to get back to Oregon?

Saleapaga: "Me and Oregon have a great relationship. I love their coaches. Coach Drew Mehringer and Steve Ha'unga and even the whole coaching staff with Dan Lanning. They try their hardest to keep in touch with me. I felt like I had to pay it back to them. For the most part I love Oregon. They're a great school. It was good to go see what the team was looking like for this year."

Q: Tell me about some of the closer relationships you've built at Oregon.

Saleapaga:"Right now I'm very close with Coach Ha'unga. Steve Ha'unga and Coach Mehringer. After that it's crazy to me this is probably the closest I've ever been to a head coach. Dan Lanning. I remember we played on a Thursday. He just got notice of it from his guy that tells him stuff and then it'd take him like an hour and he flew to Utah on his private jet and came to watch me play. That just shows you the type of people and their want for me." 

Q: What's Oregon's plan for you? Tight end or wide receiver?

Saleapaga: "They say I'm gonna be a receiving tight end, but obviously you know I'm gonna have to block and earn my spot with blocking too. Most of all they're looking at me as a receiving tight end."

Q: Oregon already has two tight ends committed in 2024, how does that affect your recruitment if at all?

Saleapaga: "It doesn't change too much. At the end of the day I'm gonna have to earn something. It's not gonna be given to me. I bet those two kids are really talented. They're probably at some spots that I'm not very good at and I'm probably better at some spots that they're not good at. It doesn't change my decision at all if I were to go to Oregon cause either way I'm gonna earn it. I don't want anything given to me."

Q: What were some highlights of your trip to Eugene?

"Saleapaga: Hanging out with the players. Hanging out with coaches. They're all good genuine people. My favorite part was the people. My decision is gonna be based off a few things and one of that is the people that's surrounding me. Most of all it was just the people for me."

Q: What stands out most about Oregon? Is it the people?

"Yeah that's a big thing. But one thing is the opportunities after football is very very great for the players."

Q: Where does Oregon stand in your recruitment?

Saleapaga: "Oregon's always been one of my dream schools. Then just actually being recruited by them and the people there--I'm not gonna lie, they're pretty high up there on my list but anything can change from here and my decision."

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