J.T. Tuimoloau Sets Off Fireworks in Ohio, Chooses Buckeyes Over UW, Others

Coveted edge rusher picks the Big Ten school, which was believed to be the leader all along.

J.T. Tuimoloau, the recruit with a huge bullseye on his back, will be a Buckeye.

On the Fourth of July, the coveted 5-star edge rusher from Seattle's Eastside suburbs, revealed on live-streaming with CBS Sports HQ that he will play his college football for Ohio State, in the process turning down Oregon, USC and hometown Washington.

Jimmy Lake's Husky coaching staff, after gaining recent commitments from 3-star Utah defensive tackle Ben Roberts and 4-star Texas running back Emeka Megwa, beating out the Buckeyes for the latter, were hoping to make a big splash with the defensive end, but were left with palpable disappointment instead.

Congrats Buckeyes Fans!

The No. 1 player in the 2021 class, 5⭐️ DL @JT_tuimoloau, is headed to Columbus.@OhioStateFB | #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/BPJDyaKGqC

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) July 4, 2021

Providing he's still on the roster, Tuimoloau still will make his way to Husky Stadium in 2024, but only as a football visitor when the Buckeyes arrive for a non-conference game on September 14. Ohio State and the UW meet again in 2025 in Columbus.

For more than a year, the 6-foot-4, 277-pound defensive end from football-minded Eastside Catholic High School — a place that supplied the UW in recent years with touted players such as tight end Hunter Bryant and running back Sam Adams — had kept everyone in suspense.

Tuimoloau, who previously revealed very little about his college preferences, indicated he would wait for pandemic restraints to come off and tour all of the strong contenders before deciding. He didn't waver at all from this plan, didn't rush himself to accommodate anyone else.

This approach made him the last high-profile recruit from the class of 2021 to come off the unattached list, well after several of his peers had enrolled in college and participated in spring football practice. 

Tuimloau began the month of June with a visit to the UW, followed by stops at USC, Ohio State and Oregon on consecutive weeks. He canceled a trip to Alabama, a school not used to rejection from a player of his perceived talent level.

The UW and the Ducks even tried to sway him by offering basketball scholarships to the powerful yet nimble athlete, as well. 

But the bottom line is most recruiting analysts and fans presumed all along that Ohio State would win Tuimoloau's services because the Big Ten program had a good track record for developing players at his position and it had infiltrated the Northwest high school ranks by recently signing receivers Gee Scott, also of Eastside Catholic, and Emeka Egbuka from Steilacoom.

Ohio State had to be impressive for Tuimoloau. The school hosted nine football camps in June and welcomed 44 recruits on official visits and another 172 unofficially, making it a whirlwind of recruiting activity. The defensive end was greeted on his arrival at the Columbus airport by coaches and Buckeyes players wearing his No. 33 in red. 

John Garcia of SI All-American explained Tuimoloau's high regard with the following detailed player assessment:

"Tuimoloau is not only the top Edge prospect on our board, he was in the mix for top overall prospect in this class. The Washington native is a player we’ve been aware of since before high school, and even then there was talk he was already the best of the 2021 class. 

"Tuimoloau can work as a “Buck” on the edges, as his size, strength and athleticism allow him to be effective both standing up and with his hand down. He can convert speed to power with ease as a pass-rusher, as well as set an edge, anchor and shed blocks in the run game. 

"Although his size does warrant an interior projection to defensive tackle, and that is something we definitely can foresee in his college career, SIAA slates Tuimoloau as an Edge prospect since he’s shown versatility to play as an on-ball Sam, Buck or Jack, 5-technique end in a 3-man front and as a 7/9-technique rush-end in a 4-man front."

Tuimoloau likely is the most heavily recruited athlete to emerge from Washington state, certainly the most decorated since detailed rankings were put in place over the past two decades.

A regular visitor to Ford Sports Performance in Bellevue, Washington, to lift and train, it will be interesting to see how Tuimoloau's football career pans out collegiately and in the NFL.

There's no reason to think Tuimoloau won't be great at every step of the way. Unfortunately for local football fans, this second leg of his football career won't unfold at home.

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