Roman Pulefaasisina did not need long to feel it.

The Sunrise Mountain High School defensive lineman arrived in San Diego for his official visit and immediately thought of home.

Not Las Vegas, where he has built himself into one of Nevada’s rising defensive line prospects.

Hawaii.

“As soon as I stepped foot, it reminded me of my hometown,” Pulefaasisina said. “The weather was nice.”

One gesture stood out, too. San Diego State defensive line coach David Lose picked up Pulefaasisina and his parents himself.

“I don’t know if he picked up the other kids himself,” Pulefaasisina said. “But he picked me up himself.”

“My parents were happy to feel that type of weather, like hometown,” Pulefaasisina said. “Whatever my parents like, I want what’s best for them, too.”

Pulefaasisina committed to San Diego State on June 5, choosing the Aztecs over offers from UNLV, Idaho and New Mexico. The 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive lineman became another piece in SDSU’s growing 2027 recruiting class.

“SDSU showed the most love out of all the schools I had,” he said.

Lose had recruited Pulefaasisina since October, and SDSU head coach Sean Lewis later traveled to Las Vegas to see him in person. Pulefaasisina said Lewis told him he had only two recruiting visits to make, and Sunrise Mountain was one of them.

“I’m grateful for that,” Pulefaasisina said. “I built a pretty good bond between them two.”

Pulefaasisina, who also won a Nevada state championship in wrestling this spring, had just lost at regionals when Lose reached out to talk recruiting. He told the coach he wasn’t focused on football at the moment. He wanted to finish the wrestling season.

Some coaches might not have liked that answer.

Lose did.

“He took it as, ‘Oh wow, he’s that guy,’” Pulefaasisina said. “He’s the one that just locks in.”

Lewis felt the same way.

Pulefaasisina didn’t begin wrestling until after his freshman football season, when a friend convinced him to join the team. Three years later, he was a Nevada heavyweight state champion.

“Wrestling really shows if you’re an athlete or not,” Pulefaasisina said. “It sees if you quit.”

Pulefaasisina said wrestling improved both his flexibility and leverage, critical traits for a defensive lineman fighting through blocks.

Last season, he recorded 55 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks while routinely facing double and triple teams.

“The more adversity I get in high school, it’ll get easier in college,” he said. “College is a whole different game. Everything’s intense. If I can handle double teams and triple teams always coming my way, that’s like one-on-ones in college for me.”

His football journey began in Hawaii, where he said he started playing youth football at age 3. Moving to Las Vegas before high school changed everything.

“Vegas was a whole different ballgame,” Pulefaasisina said. “Everybody on the team is as good as you. Everything’s just more intense out here.”

The move also changed his future. Pulefaasisina said if he had stayed in Hawaii, he likely would have been limited to the offensive line. At Sunrise Mountain, he grew into a two-way lineman and a Division I defensive prospect.

Pulefaasisina is set to become the first Sunrise Mountain player to go directly from high school to a Division I football roster.

Family has remained at the center of Pulefaasisina’s journey. His mother stays on him about grades. His pastor pushes him in the weight room. His family helped him through the recruiting process because, as Pulefaasisina put it, “most of the time, they know what’s best for me.”

Football also carries a deeper meaning.

His biological father introduced him to the sport before passing away in 2020. Pulefaasisina thought about quitting after that, but his stepdad wouldn’t let him.

“He kept pushing me to keep doing it,” Pulefaasisina said. “I’m already committed to something. You can’t just quit something you’re committed to.”

He joins an Aztecs class that has quickly gained momentum, and he believes the group can help build something as SDSU enters its new Pac-12 era.

“I’ve seen a lot of people commit to SDSU,” Pulefaasisina said. “Class of 2027 is going to make a name when we get up there.”

Roman Aguilar

Roman Aguilar (he/him/his) is a San Diego State graduate from Stockton, California. He joined The Daily Aztec in 2022, covering football, men’s basketball, and water polo before becoming Sports Editor for three years. Aguilar was also the sports director for KCR College Radio for two years, where he covered SDSU athletics, reviewed concerts, and interviewed artists. Outside the newsroom, he’s often at local shows or watching his favorite horror films.