The time is drawing near.
You've seen the airport arrival photos and heard his name countless times by now. It's been a recruitment like none other in recent memory, but things are finally winding down for five-star 2021 defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau.
Listed as the nation's No. 3 overall prospect in the composite rankings (and No. 1 according to 247 Sports), his recruitment had essentially been down to five schools for several months. The end of the dead period meant a flurry of official visits in June as the 6-foot-5, 277-pound edge rusher would finally zero in on his program of choice; something his 2021 peers did six months ago in December or during the traditional national signing day back in February.
A bit of a bombshell was dropped on Friday when five officially became four. This weekend's scheduled trip to Tuscaloosa has been canceled and Nick Saban is no longer in the mix for the Sammamish, Washington star. That's certainly noteworthy because A) this is Alabama we're talking about and B) getting the last official visit is never a bad thing.
So now we have four programs in the mix and a decision expected to come anytime between now and July 4. This may very well be the last time we talk about the recruitment before a commitment is made. Today, we're looking at those programs and handicapping the race for J.T. Tuimoloau.
4. Washington Huskies
The home school got the first official visit on June 4 and was once upon a time viewed as the favorite in the Tuimoloau recruitment. Huskies' fans probably don't have much reason for excitement, however, as that time was more than two years ago in the early stages of his recruiting process. The biggest things working in Washington's favor are proximity to home and familiarity with the campus and coaching staff. The two-sport star also holds a basketball offer, and that's something he's at least considering at the next level.
It just doesn't seem like that'll be enough to tip the scales in the Huskies' favor. Tuimoloau has constantly talked about player development and getting to the NFL as an edge rusher, and that's just not something Washington has working in its favor. Dating back to 2000, UW has only had one edge rusher drafted in the first round. That came just two months ago when Joe Tryon was selected by Tampa Bay at No. 32. He'll play outside linebacker in the Buccaneers' 3-4 scheme and is a completely different type of player than Tuimoloau.
3. USC Trojans
Clay Helton and Co. hosted the five-star back on June 14 and escorted him around the city in a chopper. The Trojans are arguably the hottest team in the country right now in terms of the 2022 class, and one has to wonder if the name, image, and likeness could be providing a big-time boost for a coach that's always on the hot seat. Los Angeles can provide a lot of opportunities that some other markets simply cannot.
#1 player in the country 12th grade JT Tuimoloau and Matayo Uiagalelei 10th grade future #1 Player,.here at USC. It was cool running into the Uso JT and the family. If USC gets JT and Matayo with Nico at QB, going to be a lot of Happy Polynesian fans #BigDavesBlueprint pic.twitter.com/wIoLB06u7R
— Big Dave Uiagalelei (@DUiagalelei) June 15, 2021
There aren't many programs in the country with a Polynesian pipeline quite like the Trojans. Is that going to be a factor here? I have no idea, but Tuimoloau's uncle is former USC linebacker Rey Maualuga and he's definitely quite familiar with the program. With several family members still in the area, Southern Cal remains in the picture. The biggest issue here is probably going to be Helton's status as the Trojans' head coach. USC has sent a lot of players to the NFL, but it's not exactly known as a defensive end factory.
2. Oregon Ducks
I think most people (myself included) viewed Alabama as the top competition in the Tuimoloau sweepstakes. Perhaps we've all been underestimating the Ducks, but it sure seems like Oregon is now the one to watch closely moving forward. JTT has been to Eugene multiple times and Mario Cristobal just got the ever-important final official visit last weekend.
Oregon has had some success with defensive linemen in the NFL, and a few of them – including DeForest Buckner and Haloti Ngata – were in town during his visit. The Ducks also have a freakish edge rusher in Kayvon Thibodeaux who could end up being the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Defensive line coach Joe Salave’a is a member of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame, Oregon's facilities are second to none, and the whole Nike thing is bound to be a big deal when it comes to name, image, and likeness. It's worth noting that they too have extended a basketball offer.
The downside for the Ducks? It's been well documented that Tuimoloau prefers to play the role of a 4-3 defensive end, and that's one thing that was working against Alabama. Oregon is in a similar spot with their base 3-4 defense. It's a scheme that has the 6-foot-5, 250-pound Thibodeaux serving as the primary edge rusher. And while this could be of no importance whatsoever, how does that five-star feel about potentially going up against his hometown program for the next few years?
After waiting over a year to make the trip, Tuimoloau's arrival saw an abundance of fanfare in Columbus.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
The crystal ball leader through most of the recruitment, Ohio State finally got Tuimoloau on campus last weekend. We've spent the last year talking about Larry Johnson and how he may be the single biggest factor in this process, and he finally got to sit down with the prized pass rusher and his family after waiting for more than a year. In terms of development, there's not a better defensive line coach in the world, and that's been seen pretty much year after year during the NFL Draft.
Columbus is also now the home of some familiar faces. Tuimoloau's friend and former teammate Gee Scott Jr. signed with the Buckeyes in 2020. Yet another friend – Emeka Egbuka – is a true freshman this year. And while it's not Los Angeles, Columbus has all sorts of NIL opportunities and the Ohio State presentation was reportedly pretty darn impressive. Chris Holtmann also got some face time with Tuimoloau and discussed some potential opportunities on the hardwood.
So what's working against Ohio State? There's been no indication that it's a major factor, but distance from home certainly stands out. And while Tuimoloau has built up a strong relationship with Larry Johnson and Ryan Day, it's worth remembering that last weekend was the first time he and his family have been to Columbus. The visit went extremely well, but there's not a whole lot of familiarity with the city or the campus; at least not yet.
We've spent the better part of two years talking about a prospect who's been the top player on our board and typically would have signed in December or February. But Tuimoloau has handled the process pretty much exactly how any prospect would during a normal recruiting cycle.
The problem is that the 2021 cycle was anything but normal. The pandemic led to Washington pushing back its 2020 high school football season to March/April. The Eastside Catholic basketball season then got underway in late April. Travel restrictions and the delayed seasons prevented him from taking some non-local unofficial visits during that time.
J.T. Tuimoloau is a player who's going to make some kind of instant impact wherever he ends up. A decision is expected to come within the next week or so, and he'll then enroll at his school of choice. Ohio State has a four-week summer term beginning July 6. I'm no university registrar expert, but it looks as though Oregon's final summer session began on June 21.
There's now a light at the end of the Tuimoloau tunnel. Four schools remain in the running, but it's certainly looking like he'll be playing in Columbus on Sept. 11 when the Ducks come to town.
