Inside The Huskies

Top Utah Offensive Tackle De-Commits from UW

Esun Tafa pulls back after the Huskies lose line coach Brennan Carroll to the NFL.

Dan Raley

Esun Tafa, recruit from Utah, checks out the UW trophy case on a summer visit.
Esun Tafa, recruit from Utah, checks out the UW trophy case on a summer visit. / UW

Esun Tafa, a 4-star offensive tackle from Utah and the Class of 2026, has withdrawn his scholarship commitment to the University of Washington football program -- becoming apparent fallout over offensive-line coach Brennan Carroll leaving for the NFL.

Yet while the teenager suggested on Wednesday to recruiting website 247Sports that Carroll's job change, indeed, played a part in his decision, the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Tafa never really ended his recruitment after choosing the Huskies in late November.

On social media, he recently attended an event at his hometown University of Utah and posted a series of photos of him on campus, including one in which he formed the letter "U" with his hands alongside someone who appeared to be a Utes coach or staffer -- and told how he looked forward to an official visit.

That was 10 days ago.

Tafa seemed anything but a player firmly committed to a college football career in Montlake.

Either way, he's a talented enough player that Jedd Fisch's staff has to be a little discouraged by this commitment reversal.

Four days after helping lead his Corner Canyon team to a 13-1 season and a second consecutive 6A state championship in late November, Tafa went on YouTube and told how he had picked the Huskies over Utah and Oregon. He was considered a significant recruiting victory.

Just this past Friday, Tafa was still interacting with the UW staff. He met with tight-ends coach Jordan Paopao and Carroll at his high school in Draper, Utah, and in a social-media posting that followed he thanked them for providing him with "great advice" and said he was looking forward to visiting the UW in February.

Three days later, Carroll was on his way to the Las Vegas Raiders, to coach again with his father, Pete, and Tafa began to backtrack.

"My relationship with coach Carroll and his background in coaching was a big part of why I committed there and chose Washington in the first place, so now I have to reassess everything after the changes," Tafa told 247Sports.

USC already appears to be in pursuit of a player who is considered Utah's top lineman in his class. Utah, of course, has been positioning itself all along to keep Tafa home.

The Huskies simply are left to shake their heads this recruiting setback.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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