Yelm tabs Tutu Tamaalevea as next head football coach: ‘A dream come true’

Yelm High School announced the hiring of head football coach Tutu Tamaalevea, a four-time regional and national champion coach at the semi-professional level.

(Grit City Knights / Courtesy/Tutu Tamaalevea)

Tutu Tamaalevea remembers coaching his Benson Bruins U13 football program earlier this year when a parent from Yelm asked if he’d heard the news. Rex Norris had stepped down as Yelm High School’s head football coach after the 2025-26 season, leaving a vacancy in a loaded 4A SPSL.

“I think you’d be the best fit,” local parents told Tamaalevea. “I think you should try it out. It doesn’t hurt to try.”

And so the longtime semi-professional and youth coach did his research. Yelm’s football community is one of the tightest-knit in the South Sound, packing the local high school stadium every Friday night. The Tornados rose to Class 4A after back-to-back 3A state championship appearances in 2022-23 (with a title win in ‘22), led by longtime head coach Jason Ronquillo.

Eatonville’s Norris took the job in 2025, and Tamaalevea knew he had big shoes to fill.

Four days after his first interview in April — and only a few hours after his second — Yelm told Tamaalevea the job was his. The school announced the hire Monday, pending board approval next week.

“It was a dream come true,” he told The News Tribune. “It was a blessing.

“I’m just ready to rebuild and be there for these kids in the community.”

Yelm stumbled in 2025, winning just three games in the state’s most competitive league. But their head coach isn’t new to rebuilding.

Tamaalevea is a four-time champion head coach at the semi-professional level, guiding the Western Washington Football Alliance’s Puyallup Kings to three national championships from 2016-18.

He joined the Grit City Knights (West Coast Pacific Minor League) in 2024, capturing consecutive regional titles as offensive coordinator (‘24) and head coach (‘25) — now on the verge of another three-peat this spring.

“Coach Tamaalevea brings passion, leadership, and a commitment to excellence that aligns perfectly with what it means to be a Tornado,” a Yelm Athletics announcement said. “We’re excited for the energy and vision he will bring to our program as we continue to build something special here in Yelm.”

Tamaalevea will coach Yelm exclusively this fall. His philosophy? The ‘standard’ comes first, and the results follow.

“Making sure that they know their Xs and Os. Making sure that the bond that I have with them is solid. It’s not only about football. It’s outside of football,” he said.