The end of one of the wildest and tight-lipped recruiting journeys is close to ending, but not without a final, surprising twist.
Five-star 2021 defensive line prospect J.T. Tuimoloau finally got to visit Ohio State last weekend and seemed to have one whale of a time. He followed that up with a mid-week visit to Oregon and was supposed to finish things off in Tuscaloosa with Nick Saban and Alabama. However, the trip to the Crimson Tide program has now been canceled with the Tide no longer being in the five-team race according to Brandon Huffman of 247Sports. Tuimoloau will now choose between his four other finalists, Oregon, Washington, USC, and yes — Ohio State.
“I’m going to focus on the four schools I’ve visited,’ Tuimoloau told Huffamn. “Ohio State, Oregon, Washington, and USC.”
The Buckeyes have long been thought to be the slight leader for the premier prospect from the state of Washington, but it was thought to be a very razor-thin lead. And with as quiet as Tuimoloau has been about the process, having Alabama as the last destination on a whirlwind tour in June was thought to be a problem for the other schools vying for his services.
"I’m going to focus on the four schools I’ve visited. Ohio State, Oregon, Washington and USC." -Top prospect J.T. Tuimoloau pic.twitter.com/b0kg4QwleZ
— 247Sports (@247Sports) June 25, 2021
Tuimoloau is apparently now ready to end this well-thought-out and thorough process and doesn’t need to take an unneeded trip to Tuscaloosa.
“It’s just a feeling I’ve had for a while now and after getting back from my official visit to Oregon, we decided not to take the trip to Alabama,” Tuimoloau told 247Sports.
According to Huffman, the No. 2 defensive line prospect and third overall recruit in the class according to 247Sports will now go into decision mode with his family, and that there’s a feeling he’s had for a few weeks that will need to be sorted out.
“I think I have a pretty good idea of what each of the four schools I’ve visited offer and now I’m going to discuss things as a family and come to a decision,” said Tuimoloau.
There is no official timeline for the announcement, but if indeed Tuimoloau is canceling high-profile visits and talking about feelings he’s had, you can bet that we’ll hear something very soon. Especially seeing how most of Ohio State’s 2021 class is already accounted for and either enrolled or on the way. Whether or not it has the highest-rated defensive prospect ever to commit to OSU as a part of that group or not remains to be seen.
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