Bulldogs’ offensive line coach will work bowl game before heading to Arizona State
Fresno State offensive line coach Saga Tuitele, who has accepted a job at Arizona State and is the latest assistant from the staff of coach Jeff Tedford to earn a step up to the Power Five level, will stay with the Bulldogs through the Dec. 17 L.A. Bowl.
“He wants to do that,” Tedford said. “The game being so close, you want to finish it out with your kids. He wants to do that. He wants to see it all the way through. That’s the kind of guy he is.
“He’ll jump over there one day and talk to the o-linemen and stuff like that. I think they’re on the quarter system so they’re finished right now, but he’ll be here as far as I know for bowl preparation and the game.”
Tuitele, who is in his first season at Fresno State, had coaching stints at FCS Portland State and Cal Poly, then New Mexico and Army before joining Tedford’s staff. He led the Bulldogs’ offensive line through an injury-riddled start to a season in which they lost starting right tackle Dontae Bull with a broken leg and had several others in and out of practices and the playing rotation. Fresno State this season has had three offensive linemen play more than 450 of their 871 snaps from scrimmage, and five others play between 275 and 440.
The Bulldogs are leading the Mountain West in scoring and second in total offense, despite the injuries up front and to quarterback Jake Haener, who missed four games.
Tedford assistants from his first stint at his alma mater that have moved up to Power Five conference programs include Washington coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and LSU defensive line coach Jamar Cain, who departed for Arizona State before moving to Oklahoma and to the Tigers.
Former Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator Bert Watts moved to Auburn after Tedford stepped away from coaching due to heart-related health issues in 2019. Tedford’s first defensive coordinator, Orlondo Steinauer, is now the coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League.
