Analysts Speculate Tuimoloau is Leaning to Ohio State — or is He?
The University of Washington football team just lost its defensive coordinator.
What about the nation's top defensive recruit, sitting in the Huskies' backyard?
Sports Illustrated All-American's John Garcia speculates that Eastside Catholic High School defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau is probably weighing Alabama against Ohio State in choosing a college football program.
Yet Garcia says just the fact that Tuimoloau is not revealing any clues right up to the end in two weeks has to bode well for the UW.
The following is Garcia's assessment of six uncommitted national recruits, among them Tuimoloau, who still lists five choices, which also include Oregon and USC, among his finalists:
DE J.T. Tuimoloau / Sammamish, Wash. (Eastside Catholic)
The most critical singular get for a program two Wednesdays from now is the top overall defensive prospect in the SI99, technically considering Washington, Oregon, USC, Alabama and Ohio State. Much of the buzz remains around the two programs having played in the national championship game, specifically with runner-up Ohio State given long high praise of potential position coach Larry Johnson along with fellow Washington native Emeka Egbuka already having signed with Ryan Day's staff in December. Hard to count out Alabama and local Washington, for that matter, especially given how close to the vest Tuimoloau remains at the final stages of the recruiting process.
Analysts from Seattle to Columbus, Ohio, are projecting the 6-foot-4, 277-pound Tuimoloau to choose the Buckeyes, but they're well aware the highly regarded edge rusher has controlled the process with no information leaks.
So they conclude he's capable of doing just about anything.
All of them are eagerly waiting to see if there's any mystery to what Tuimoloau ultimately does.
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