Texas has been squarely in the race for one of the top players in the country, linebacker Niuafe Tuihalamaka. Steve Sarkisian and Jeff Choate have kept their West Coast roots, pushing for the Mission Hills, California, prospect.
The four-star prospect has a top five of Arizona State, Notre Dame, Oregon, Stanford and Texas. If the Longhorns are going to secure a commitment from Tuihalamaka, beating the Fighting Irish will be key.
Sarkisian and Choate have their chance to impress this weekend. Tuihalamaka dropped a pin via Twitter on Friday, announcing he was in Austin for his official visit.
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— Niuafe Junior Tuihalamaka (@JuniorNiuafe) June 4, 2021
Tuihalamaka is listed at 6 feet, 2 inches and weighs 238 pounds. Texas could be fighting with Notre Dame for him and four-star Sebastian Cheeks over the coming weeks, and it needs an elite-level linebacker in the class.
Three-star Trevell Johnson has committed, but at least one more linebacker will be needed to fit Pete Kwiatkowski’s needs.
On the 247Sports composite, Tuihalamaka is the No. 81 player and No. 9 linebacker overall. The California native ranks No. 9 among in-state prospects, just behind Texas quarterback commit Maalik Murphy.
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