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As he sat between two teammates at a table Wednesday afternoon at Puyallup High School and picked between three straw hats — each with the insignia of a Power Five program — Puyallup offensive lineman Dave Iuli wore an ear-to-ear grin.

After he touched each hat, toying live on CBS Sports HQ with three rabid fan bases vying for the 6-foot-5, 315-pound offensive lineman, he announced his commitment to University of Oregon.

And wasted no time appealing to his new supporters.

“For all my boys out there, let me get a skooo (Ducks)!” Iuli chirped.

MORE:National signing day — where are Washington's top football players headed?

The grandiose of the four-star offensive lineman’s National Signing Day announcement didn’t surprise Puyallup coach Brian Grout.

“He’s a really big personality,” Grout said. “He’s really charismatic and he attracts people to him naturally because he’s loud and really jovial and he’s really fun.”

Nor should the hype, the too-early NFL projection from recruiting experts, or the high school evaluation. Iuli is the top lineman out west, according to ESPN, 247 Sports’ No. 10 interior lineman in the country and the highest profile commitment from the state of Washington Wednesday when signed next to classmates Jordan Dwyer (Idaho) and Tyler Lawrence (Air Force).

Dave Iuli (No. 74) clears the way for the Puyallup offense during a regional playoff win over Mount Si. (Photo by Vince Miller)

Dave Iuli (No. 74) clears the way for the Puyallup offense during a regional playoff win over Mount Si. (Photo by Vince Miller)

Iuli passed the eye test when Grout first met as an incoming freshman. But Grout’s lasting impression of the hulking offensive lineman wasn’t his more than 300-pound frame, though he towered over many of Puyallup’s seniors.

Iuli flashed footwork and a truck-stick atypical of his age.

"Most 14-year-olds aren’t that big, and those who are that big aren’t very strong, aren’t very coordinated, and Dave had both of those things at that age and hat really stood out,” Grout, then Puyallup’s offensive line coach, said. “He was hitting guys who were seniors and taking the air out of them.”

Born in American Samoa, Iuli followed his older brother Ray and moved to the United States when he was around 10 years old. Just a couple years later, in 2018, Iuli worked his way into the starting lineup as a freshman for a Vikings team competing for a 4A state title.

Grout also remembers his drive and determination. 14-year-old Iuli wanted to be a Power Five lineman and was willing to make sacrifices to get there. That stretched beyond disciplined dedication to improving footwork. It meant, at Grout’s suggestion, dropping weight.

He was also forced to stay focused on his goal from the sidelines.

Iuli underwent surgery for a torn lateral meniscus after his freshman season, sidelining him for his sophomore year. His junior season was delayed to the spring and reduced six games due to COVID-19. All said, he endured more than two years away from the sport.

He returned with a vengeance, helping Puyallup achieve a 5-1 record in the spring and 8-3 record and 4A state playoff appearance the following fall.

He de-committed from Oregon in late December, weeks after head coach Mario Cristobal left for Miami.

Grout, who took over as Puyallup’s head coach last year, said Wednesday that he wouldn’t be surprised if Iuli followed Cristobal to Miami, because of their bond during Iuli’s recruitment, and the degree to which Iuli values interpersonal relationships with his coaches.

He found that in Cristobal’s replacement, former Georgia defensive coordinator Danny Lanning.

“To all the Duck fans out there, you’re not going to be disappointed in me,” Iuli told a CBS Sports HQ audience Wednesday afternoon. “You’re getting a player who is very disciplined, a player that puts his strength in his culture, in God, and relies on brothers next to him to get the job done.”

Grout has seen it firsthand. Iuli cited Oregon’s ability to develop NFL players as a reason for committing. Grout saw enough from his development in high school to know Iuli’s not throwing out empty platitudes.

“For the next two-to-four years with Lanning, we’re going to make something special, and I just can’t wait,” Iuli said.

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