Former Washington DT Faatui Tuitele to join Jedd Fisch’s recruiting staff

Former Washington Huskies defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele is returning to Washington to join the school’s recruiting staff.

Since Jedd Fisch took over as the Washington Huskies’ head coach, he has heavily emphasized recruiting. On Thursday, the Huskies added to their off-field recruiting staff, hiring former defensive tackle Faatui Tuitele.

Washington’s off-field staff is led by the director of recruiting Josh Omura and assistant director of recruiting Armond Hawkins, who made a great decision with this hire.

A former four-star recruit, when Tuitele committed to Washington, he was considered one of the biggest wins of coach Chris Petersen’s career on the recruiting trail. He chose the Huskies over Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, and Texas and went on to play five seasons on Montlake.

During his career, he played in 43 games, tallying 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. After the 2023 season, he chose to medically retire after dealing with ailments throughout his time at Washington.

Bringing in Tuitele should help the staff continue to heavily recruit the state of Hawaii, which is ripe with talent every year. He also brings unique insight into what it takes to land a top out of state prospect and what it’s like to play for a national championship with Washington.

Going forward, Tuitele and his passion for the university could be a valuable asset as the Huskies push to pull in a top recruiting class as they head into the Big Ten.