One of Top '26 Prospects From Colorado to Visit UCLA

UCLA football continues to add to what will be a busy spring.

On Tuesday, 247Sports' Brandon Hoffman revealed that class of 2026 three-star defensive lineman Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais has set up a May 10 official visit to UCLA.

Umu-Cais, who plays for Cherry Creek High School in Colorado, is ranked the No. 54 defensive lineman in his class and the No. 4 class of 2026 prospect in Colorado, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

The Bruins offered the recruit last month. Per Hoffman, Umu-Cais will also visit Stanford on April 25, Washington on June 7 and Colorado State on June 20.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins evaluated the prospect this week:

"Umu-Cais or ‘TI’ as he’s called, is on the short list when talking about the top overall player in the state for the ’26 class. He projects as a classic nose guard who could also play the three-tech but is a sure fire interior lineman who can do some damage.

"He has the body/mass to take on a double team, hold his ground and still get a push up the field. He’s a naturally strong player who plays a power game. You can’t move him and he shows some pass rush ability as well.

"He has the length you want to see for an interior lineman as well and as he continues to improve athletically in terms of his short area quickness and burst, he’ll take his game to another level."

Umi-Cais has also received offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, USC, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Miami (FL), Cal and Baylor, among others.

Our Brock Vierra gave the following breakdown on the 6-3, 295-pound defensive line prospect:

"He is incredibly impressive at absorbing double teams. A lot of the time, Cherry Creek would use a 3-3-5 defense because Umu-Cais was eating up two to three blockers at one time.

"What is special is his acceleration in pursuit of the ball-carrier. He doesn't get fooled by jukes in space and when he takes his first step towards a ball carrier, he does so at such a wide angle, it cuts off the ball-carriers and then, the way Umu-Cais explodes into the tackle, it is a beautiful thing to watch.

"He is insanely explosive for a guy at his size. Teams hesitate throwing screens because Umu-Cais can "b" line it for the quarterback before the play is ready to go. He will be a special player one day."

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