High school football: No. 1 2021 prospect J.T. Tuimoloau commits to Ohio State

By Zack Poff Jul 4, 2021, 1:00pm

After official visits to Ohio State, Oregon, USC, and Washington the nation's top-rated player picks the Buckeyes.

Regarded as the No. 1 overall prospect in high school football's Class of 2021 by 247Sports, J.T. Tuimoloau of Eastside Catholic (Sammamish, Wash.) announced Sunday his commitment to Ohio State. He's the last Top 100 rated 247Sports player to commit and wanted to wait until he took all his official visits before making a decision.

Once the NCAA lifted its dead period in June, the 6-foot-5, 280-pound defensive lineman visited Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Washington. He was scheduled to make his final trip to Alabama but canceled the visit to focus on the other four  before deciding on the Buckeyes.

Tuimoloau was a regular on the MaxPreps All-America first teams during his high school career landing on the freshman, sophomore and junior teams. He was selected to the Preseason MaxPreps All-America first team heading into his senior year before Washington announced it was moving football to the spring.

He went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 football prospect on 247Sports and led the Crusaders to back-to-back 3A state titles in 2018 and 2019. During those two seasons he racked up nearly 150 tackles and 21 sacks while making an impact on offense as a tight end.

Also a standout basketball player, he landed Power 5 offers that include Oregon and Washington, and averaged nearly a double-double during his high school career. He was a first team All-Metro league pick during his sophomore season and second team selection as a junior.



Tuimoloau made his announcement live on CBS Sports HQ.
J.T. Tuimoloau in action during Eastside Catholic's spring season.
J.T. Tuimoloau in action during Eastside Catholic's spring season.
Photo by Brian Bodine