Ranking the Contenders: Four-star LB Niuafe Tuihalamaka
Niuafe Tuihalamaka was committed to USC for nearly a year and it looked like he was locked up with the Trojans, but in recent weeks the four-star linebacker backed off his pledge and reopened his recruitment.
He has now turned his focus to five schools, with Arizona State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford and Texas making the cut. He has done virtual visits, he has gotten to know many of those coaching staffs well and Tuihalamaka could start taking visits on his own since the recruiting dead period won’t end until at least the end of May.
In today’s Ranking The Contenders, we look at Tuihalamaka’s five frontrunners and put them in order of likelihood where he will commit.
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RELATED: Is Notre Dame a lock for Tuihalamaka?
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1. NOTRE DAME
Ever since Tuihalamaka de-committed from USC, the Irish have made a serious push in his recruitment and could not be considered the team to beat. A recent Zoom call with coach Brian Kelly left a major impression. His relationship with new defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman continues to get better and better. And the academics at Notre Dame is a massive selling point to Tuihalamaka and his family. There have been plans to visit South Bend as soon as possible, and that could only further the four-star’s interest in the school.
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2. STANFORD
Academics are going to play a major role in Tuihalamaka’s decision, and a good sign for Stanford is that the four-star has started the admissions process there. That's a big sign that he is very serious about the Cardinal as well. On a Zoom call with Kelly, the Notre Dame coach told Tuihalamaka that Stanford is five hours away from home by car and Notre Dame is five hours away by plane, and so mode of transportation is the only difference. That could be compelling, but knowing Stanford is a car ride away could be a big deal.
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3. TEXAS
Texas is one of those schools that has always intrigued Tuihalamaka, but he was hesitant to get too excited since former coach Tom Herman never really revved up the program or recruited the four-star linebacker. That has completely changed with first-year coach Steve Sarkisian in place, and it cannot be discounted that Gardena (Calif.) Serra QB Maalik Murphy is committed to the Longhorns. Tuihalamaka and Murphy have known each other from youth ball and they play on the same 7-on-7 team. That could be big, especially if Tuihalamaka can get to Austin soon.
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4. ARIZONA STATE
There are a lot of connections between Tuihalamaka and the Arizona State program that should be considered - and why the Sun Devils could have a sneaky good chance to land him. Tuihalamaka and new commit Larry Turner-Gooden have known each other for years and they also played together in youth football. Then there is the factor of new Arizona State assistant coach Chris Claiborne, who has known the Tuihalamaka family for years, so that bond cannot go unnoticed. Academics are not up to the Notre Dame or Stanford standard, but what other schools really are? That will be something for Tuihalamaka to consider.
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5. OREGON
Coach Mario Cristobal has led this recruitment and that leaves a big impression with Tuihalamaka, but he has not visited there yet and that could propel the Ducks higher on this list. From the facilities to all the opportunities he would have at Oregon, it’s a school that definitely intrigues, him plus the four-star knows full well just how dominant the Ducks have been in recruiting under Cristobal, especially at the linebacker spot.