Making the Case: Five-star J.T. Tuimoloau
We’re still talking about 2021 prospects?
Six months after the early signing period when the majority of prospects made their college decisions and four months after the February signing day, five-star defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau is just hitting the road for his official visits.
The Sammamish (Wash.) Eastside Catholic standout has taken his recruitment longer than most anyone during the Rivals era dating back to 2002.
The five-star will visit his five favorites over the month in Washington, Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Alabama and then is expected to make a decision shortly after his trips.
Analysts and publishers from the Rivals network take a closer look at where Tuimoloau might land.
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ALABAMA
Alabama was fortunate to get Tuimoloau on campus in 2019 and now gets his final official visit before announcing a decision. The Crimson Tide have steadily increased their standing with him since last summer, led by the recruiting efforts of defensive line coach Freddie Roach. Coach Nick Saban has been very involved in his recruitment as well. Alabama has to feel good about its opportunity to potentially put another addition on the highest-rated recruiting class in the Rivals’ rankings history.
This is a very close race to call, but Alabama is considered a very strong candidate to land his signature. – Andrew Bone, BamaInsider.com
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OHIO STATE
Ohio State is absolutely a legitimate contender for J.T. Tuimoloau’s services. For one, any elite defensive lineman will have to, at the very least, give the Buckeyes a look given Larry Johnson’s resume. The respected D-line coach has assisted in developing a trio of top-three NFL Draft picks, and is praised by top pass rushers in the nation on a yearly basis.
Also, the Buckeyes have done an excellent job of recruiting in Washington recently. In the past two cycles, they’ve been able to land Rivals100 prospect Gee Scott Jr. and five-star Emeka Egbuka. Ohio State also got a little bit of a scheduling break here as Tuimoloau will be visiting June 18-20, which is the weekend where it'll have its least amount of official visitors in June.
I’m not saying OSU will definitely land Tuimoloau, but they have just as good of a shot as any of the schools in his top five. – Joseph Hastings, BuckeyeGrove.com
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OREGON
Oregon faces intense competition for the signature of J.T. Tuimoloau with his top five including some of the best football programs in the nation. Still, the Ducks have as good a shot as anybody for this blue-chipper. In their favor are several factors, starting with location with Eugene being close enough for family to watch all his games, yet far enough from home to give independence if that is what he seeks.
His relationship with defensive line coach Joe Salave’a is excellent, and he has visited Oregon unofficially several times. Add to that a quality football program on the rise, and the Ducks have every reason to hotly pursue Tuimoloau. – A.J. Jacobson, DuckSportsAuthority.com
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USC
The Trojans have pursued Tuimoloau throughout his recruitment with the belief that they are in it as much as anyone, but as with everything related to this recruitment who can really tell where things actually stand? USC defensive line coach Vic So’oto has built a strong relationship with the defensive end over this process, and he even has a familial connection with Tuimoloau’s father’s side of the family.
It was also believed that USC signing fellow five-star DE Korey Foreman actually helped the cause as it showed Tuimoloau the kind of talent he could play with on that defensive line. Most importantly, though, the Trojans will get their chance to pitch him in person later this month when he visits. Given that he’s delayed his recruitment beyond all other 2021 prospects to get this opportunity to visit schools, it seems premature to predict his leanings until those trips happen.
USC will pitch to Tuimoloau what he, Foreman and Co. could accomplish, but they’re going to have to really wow him with buzz growing that some of the schools closer to home have gained some momentum with him, and with programs like Ohio State and Alabama able to sell their status as perennial playoff contenders.
Anything can happen, but it would take really strong buzz coming off that upcoming USC visit to truly feel good about the Trojans’ chances. – Ryan Young, TrojanSports.com
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WASHINGTON
Washington has been recruiting J.T. Tuimoloau longer than any program and were the first to offer him as a freshman. Throughout his recruitment the thought of playing in front of his friends and family for every home game has been important to Tuimoloau and it’s something no other program can offer him.
The Huskies face steep competition from national powers Alabama and Ohio State, along with conference foes Oregon and USC, but family has been a huge part and he’s felt that family vibe from UW. Combined with a strong relationship with Ikaika Malloe, Jimmy Lake and new DL coach Rip Rowan, there is no concern about being developed by UW and being the player to return UW to a national championship carries substantial importance to him. – Lars Hanson, DawgReport.com
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THE VERDICT
Making a prediction on Tuimoloau’s final destination is almost impossible until he takes visits because I’m convinced even he’s torn about his decision. What I’ve heard is that Ohio State and Alabama still have the best shot at landing the five-star defensive end and those visits are going to probably be the most crucial in Tuimoloau making his choice. Alabama continues to pursue hard as does Ohio State, which has recruited him for a long time and where he has familiar faces in Scott, Egbuka and others.
The opportunity to stay close to home intrigues him, though, and I’d say Oregon could have the best shot there. Being the next Kayvon Thibodeaux or Arik Armstead would appeal to Tuimoloau and there is a legitimate shot at getting to the College Football Playoff especially because the Ducks’ defense is so loaded.
I have a hard time believing it’s going to be Washington because if he wanted to go there, why wait this long? He’s already so familiar with the program that there’s no reason to play it out.
USC can never be counted out but I just don’t see it happening right now. The visit could change things and that’s why Tuimioloau taking these five trips is so big.
I’d say right now that Alabama, Ohio State and Oregon are really in a close contest to land his commitment and these visits will determine everything. – Adam Gorney, Rivals National Recruiting Director