Taylor Gautney is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Brophy High School for AZPreps365.com

Before the 2025 football season, Yuen Taufete’e never played a snap of organized football or attended a traditional school. Now, the freshman 6-foot-3, 300-pound offensive lineman is an everyday starter for Brophy College Prep's offensive line and helping anchor the Broncos as a top-ranking in Arizona. 

“I have no football experience, so it’s been tough,” said the Samoan. “Coming from homeschool, it was really hard to have time management and adjust to the football commitment.”

Taufete'e is standing on the sideline during the Brophy football game. (Taylor Gautney photo/AZPreps 365)

Taufete’e’s journey to the gridiron is rooted in family, heritage and quiet determination. A first-generation American, he said he plays to honor both bis last name and his Samoan heritage. 

“I’m representing my last name,” Taufete’e said. “Samoa is not a very big island. I’m representing them, too. Being the only Polynesian on the football team, hopefully, will encourage more Polynesians to come here (Brophy).”

Yuen’s father has played a central role in his football career. A former collegiate football player, he guides his son through experience and the willingness to work hard. 

“That’s just how we grew up and how we were raised back home,” Taufete’e’s dad said. “You’re humble off the field, but 100% a lion on the field. It’s a switch.” 

“My dad always told me to stay humble and be respectful,” Taufete’e said. “He always told me about the (personality) switch. You can be kind and respectful to your opponents and teammates off the field, but on the field, you have to switch to be aggressive.”

Before strapping on the shoulder pads, Taufete’e spent most of his athletic life on the mat, as a four-time Arizona Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu state champion, a sport he says built his skills to succeed on the football field.

Yuen during a Jiu-Jitsu tournament in the local area. (Prep RedZone photo)

“It helped me with my flexibility mostly,” Taufete’e said. “In Jiu-jitsu, I used to go against the adults. My background in Jiu-jitsu has really helped me push around those defensive linemen and set blocks for my teammates.”

Brophy head coach Jason Jewell said he saw Yuen’s talent as soon as he toured the school’s campus, thinking, “How could he really be in eighth grade?” 

But Yuen’s off-the-field personality is what impressed Jewell early on. 

“Being around older guys, new friends, he has adapted very well,” Jewell said. “His demeanor, his attitude, and he’s just a genuine, good, kind human being.

The hardest adjustment was finding time to sleep and study during football season, after being homeschooled throughout middle school.

Taufete'e’s stepmother, Alex, said she is most proud of how much work he put in to be here.

“A lot of people like to say, ‘He’s just so big, he got a ticket into here,’” Alex said. “He’s just worked so hard, and I don’t think people recognize the amount of time and work that went into going here (Brophy).”

During the summer, she and Yuen worked on cardio in the blazing sun. Then, Yuen would also put on pads and practice blocking with his dad in the yard.

 

“He works really hard, whether it’s athletically or academically,” Alex said. “It goes beyond just that surface level. He truly is a gentle giant, and that’s what I want people to know most about him.”

Yuen’s dad said his younger siblings always look up to him, and he always makes good choices.

“That’s the number one thing, leadership on and off the football field," Taufete’e’s dad said.

“I trapped him into playing football," his dad added. “After the first practice, he came to me and said he loved it. That’s how he stayed with it.”

The University of Arizona offered Yuen a football scholarship before he even played a high school game, and he was selected to the 2025 Freshman All-American Bowl for his success at Brophy. 

Despite the attention, Yuen wants everyone to see him as a hardworking, team player who loves bonding with his teammates more than anything. He studies hard and said he hopes to attend Stanford University one day.

“I’m actually really kind and friendly,” Taufete’e said. “Some people think I’m intimidating and mean. I hope to bond closer with my teammates as my career goes on.”