Tala Togiai watched like a hawk from his lawn chair as Tommy Togiai and his little brother, Luke, sluggishly moved through the grass at the family's home.

The heat wore the Togiai brothers out, but their father did not let them quit. The physically drained siblings needed some relief, so they headed for the garden hose. They soaked their heads in water to convince Tala that they reached their goals. It did not work, and the brothers continued their course in hard knocks.

The laps were a rite of passage for seventh-grade Tommy and fourth-grade Luke. Their two older sibling, TJ and Lynnsie, ran countless laps before Tommy and Luke joined as third-graders. The running was designed to instill discipline, especially in Tommy. Tala knew his son had ability. From weighing 12 pounds at birth to bench pressing 225 pounds in eighth grade, Tommy's potential was clear.

Now, the Highland star senior football player doesn't need encouragement. The once nightmare-like laps are routine. Neighbors asked if it's a punishment, but Tommy's showing the product of his backyard workouts.

AIMING HIGH

Tommy shed his blocker and came across the formation to swallow Skyline's Kyler Morgan in Aug. 18's jamboree at the ICCU Practice Fields.

One-on-one blocks will be a rarity for Tommy this season. The senior is a consensus four-star recruit wanted by nearly every major Division I football program. He is the 55th-best prospect in the ESPN 300 and the second-best defensive tackle, according to 247sports. He has scholarship offers from Boise State, Penn State, Michigan and TCU, among others.

"I'm glad he's on my side. … There are not a lot of people in Idaho that can block him," Highland defensive coordinator Nick Sorrell said. "He helps everyone. From top to bottom, a guy like that can make a good defense great."

Tommy had 62 tackles and six sacks as a junior on a defense that allowed 63.7 rushing yards per game. The double- and triple-teams never stopped, but neither did Tommy's motor. He continued to make plays and finished two tackles away from the team high.

"He's hard to block," Highland coach Gino Mariani said. "He's so fun to watch. He's tough and makes a ton of plays. He's always around the quarterback and the QB knows it."

The defensive tackle played varsity as a freshman at Highland, rotating with soon-to-be college-bound teammates Hunter Eborn (Idaho State), Wayne Kirby (Oregon to BYU) and brother TJ (Carroll College to ISU). Tommy also played on the Rams' scout team and faced then-teammate Tristen Hoge, the top offensive center prospect in the class of 2015, who now plays at BYU.

The extra work helped Tommy become a hot commodity. Mariani said when recruiters from Washington and Oregon came to watch Kirby, they asked about Tommy.

The interest soon materialized, as Tommy received his first scholarship offer from Utah as a sophomore. While in Mr. McArthur's physics class, Tommy got a text from Justin Ena, the Utes' linebackers coach. Tommy stepped out and got word of the Utes' interest.

The scholarship offers and letters have since poured in. Tommy has four boxes filled with letters from colleges. He used to open and read each one, but it soon became too time-consuming.

"I couldn't believe it," Tommy's mother Jodi said. "I didn't know it would keep coming. Our mailbox was always full. I feel sorry for our mailperson."

PROPHECY FULFILLED

Tommy watched TJ have the time of his life on the football field.

His older brother made tackles and cheered with his teammates while Tommy sat in the bleachers. Tommy eagerly waited for his chance to put on pads and play for the Snake River team in the Southeast Idaho Youth Football League. Tommy thought his time came in fourth grade, but there was no room on the fifth-grade team. He cried when he couldn't play.

Tommy got his opportunity one year later. He played on the offensive and defensive lines because of the league's weight limit. Two years after he started, Tommy's star began to shine. He led Snake River to a league title in 2012, which sent the team to Las Vegas for a regional tournament. The Panthers did not make the title game, but Tommy's consolation prize was a spot at running back and a 70-yard touchdown run.

"You could tell he was bigger, faster, stronger than everyone else," TJ said. "Ever since then, you could tell he was on another level. It wasn't fair. He couldn’t be blocked."

Tommy became a force in little league as a defensive lineman. He was better than his competition. And everyone knew it, including Cody Shelley, now the athletic director and boys basketball coach at Blackfoot High School.

"He told my brother I was going to play in college," Tommy said. "He went around telling everyone."

PACKING HIS BAGS

Tommy flew on a plane for the first time when he went to Ohio State's Friday Night Lights camp this summer.

Beside playing in Ohio Stadium, Tommy met Buckeyes' coach Urban Meyer. Ohio State's three-time national champion coach showed Tommy his ring collection and allowed the prospective recruit to wear some. It was all part of courting one of the nation's top recruits.

The Ohio State camp was Tommy's third unofficial visit, coming after trips to USC and Washington.

"It's crazy to see everything," Tommy said. "It hits you and you are like, 'Wow, I'm here.'"

Tommy's first official visit is with Ohio State for the Buckeyes' Sept. 9 game against Oklahoma. His next official visit is to Washington for the Huskies' Oct. 7 game against California. He will also take an official visit to USC on Dec. 16-17. Tommy's other two official visits will be to Utah and Wisconsin, but no dates are set.

"I get bombarded from people every day asking if he is going to make a decision," Mariani said. "I tell them, 'He's the best poker player I've been around.' He doesn't tell everything."

Tommy receives phone calls or texts every day from Ohio State, USC, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Jodi also receives texts from interested college coaches. She said Meyer and Washington coach Chris Petersen text her daily.

"It's been crazy," Tommy said. "Right after that first offer, everyone started calling and texting me. It's a little overwhelming at times. I'm thankful for the people around me."

THE FOUNDATION

The Togiai family has a deep sports background. 

Tala was a professional rugby player in Samoa, Jodi was a three-sport athlete at Snake River High School and Jodi father played football and basketball at Ricks College, now BYU-Idaho. It was inevitable that Tommy would play sports. He began working out in the third grade on a broken-down bench press in his home gym. Tommy quickly became too strong for the minimal weight in the workout area.

For his 12th birthday, Tommy's only request was a membership to Gold's Gym. He got it and found a passion for lifting weights. The love of iron has taken him to 31 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, a 595-pound squat and a 4.9-second 40-yard dash.

"A lot of coaches have told me they haven't seen someone as strong as me at my position before," Tommy said. "They say the explosiveness out of my stance is something they haven't seen."

Tommy's love of working out fuels an appetite that Jodi scrambles to keep pace with.

Peanut butter sandwiches, bowls of cereal and lunch meat are snacks to hold Tommy over between meals. TJ shares his brother's ravenous appetite and battles for snacks have occurred. The two once broke a pantry door fighting over food.

Tommy's diet and workouts helped him drop 25 pounds since the end of his junior football season. He heads into his senior campaign as a 6-foot-3, 300-pound menace.

"He's the strongest kid I've ever seen," TJ said.

THE FINISH

Jodi began carrying Tommy's birth certificate around in her purse.

In seventh grade, Tommy played travel basketball for Trinity Hoops and in a game against the Southeast Idaho Hoops Academy, a dilemma arose. The academy's coach did not believe Tommy was a seventh-grader because of his size. Jodi didn't want that to happen again, so she brought proof with her to Tommy's sporting events.

Tommy played basketball in his junior year at Highland and was a key contributor. But there will be no senior season on the hardwood. Tommy is set to graduate in November after Highland's first trimester.

He will make his college decision by December and enroll early at his school of choice.

"It will help a ton," Tommy said. "You get school work done and get spring ball."

It's all part of Tommy's plan to reach his goal, the NFL.

Tommy watched from his home as the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in 2006's Super Bowl XL. The Steelers became his new favorite team. The goal to be a professional started then. Eleven years later, Tommy is months away from becoming a Division I football player.

His coaches and family see potential in the small-town kid from southeast Idaho.

"The NFL has been my main dream since I was a little kid," Tommy said. "I want to be the best player I can be. I've put in the work, lifting weights and running. Back to where I was in little league and where I am now, I'd always dream, but never thought it would happen."