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4-Star DT Tuli Letuligasenoa flips to Washington Football Team

Bret Stuter
Bret Stuter

The Husky Haul

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Chris Petersen (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Head coach Chris Petersen of the Washington Huskies walks down the sidelines during the first half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Head coach Chris Petersen of the Washington Huskies walks down the sidelines during the first half of the Playstation Fiesta Bowl against the Penn State Nittany Lions at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Former USC commit Tuli Letuligasenoa weighed his options and flipped to the Washington Football team recruiting class of 2018

We all understand that the Washington Football team needs help at the defensive tackle position. After all, losing DT Elijah Qualls to the NFL in 2017, and now DT Vita Vea heading to the NFL this season leaves huge voids in any NCAA roster. And as a result, plenty of fans and commentators alike have harbored plenty of concerns.  Defensive tackles in the Washington scheme set the tone for one of the nation’s best run-defense.  And they lead the charge against opposing Pac-12 quarterbacks.  A collapsing pocket is the best defense against supercharged passers.

Why? They either throw on the run or run into the pass rush. In either situation, the defense odds improve dramatically. And we know that the NFL loves the defensive linemen from Washington. In fact, Vita Vea is projected to be a round one selection.  If only we could hear another #Woof from Coach Petersen. It’s been that kind of recruiting class.

The wonders of that #Woof

Magical. Electric. Incredible talent falling into place.  But the Washington Football team needs depth at the defensive tackle spot. After losing out on defensive tackle Tommy Togiai, hope diminished that the Huskies could land a top prospect for the position.

And then something happened. Something very magical and electric happened.

But wait. Pehaps, could it be? It’s that #Woof, but who? We know the team is anticipating some news for Georgia transfer quarterback Jacob Eason. And we know defensive end Jeremiah Martin was in town over the weekend, and witness the electricity of the Washington Basketball team upsetting Arizona 78-75.

SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 07: Head coach Chris Petersen of the Washington Huskies looks on prior to the game against the California Golden Bears at Husky Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA – OCTOBER 07: Head coach Chris Petersen of the Washington Huskies looks on prior to the game against the California Golden Bears at Husky Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

Welcome to the Washington Huskies Tuli!

But QB Eason is still weighing his options. And DT Martin reportedly will announce his decision on February 7th, 2018.  So that can only mean one person. TULI!!!!!

What an incredible addition to this 2018 recruiting class!  Defensive tackle Tuli Letuligasenoa is the total defensive lineman package. He is incredibly strong, understands leverage, and plays with a peeved-off attitude which infects the entire defense with that edge of meanness.

He’s solid. Literally and figuratively. A standout on the defensive line, he’s already made a name for himself. His natural talents already align him with the role of premier defensive interior lineman. But it’s that attitude of beating his opponent to the ball carrier which cannot be taught. You either have it, or you don’t.

Tuli does.

SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 09: Defensive back Myles Bryant
SEATTLE, WA – SEPTEMBER 09: Defensive back Myles Bryant

Playmaker Letuligasenoa

He made plenty of headlines when he committed to the USC Trojans in April 2017.  In fact, Bleacher Report cited Brandon Huffman of Scout.com’s November 2016 scouting report of Letuligasenoa:

"Letuligasenoa was dominant for the Spartans in their regular season finale against Danville (Calif.) Monte Vista. A four-star already, Letuligasenoa is the top defensive tackle in the West in the 2018 class and showed it. He sacked Washington-bound Jake Haener twice and had two more hurries plus two tackles for loss in the win and was constantly getting a push into the backfield, drawing double-teams and beating those routinely."

That’s quite an endorsement

Our kinda guy

Push into the backfield and beating double teams sounds like an “OKG” alright. But there is so much more to him than just gobbling up blockers and penetrating into the backfield. He is incredibly versatile, able to play an interior 4-3 or outside in a 3-4.  Whatever the role, it needs to take advantage of his incredible “quick start” off the snap.

Next: Does Washington Football recruiting class of 2018 have an encore?

That versatility is what separates him from the rest for this Washington Football Team. A young man, hungry for playing time, and a virtual plug-and-play anywhere on the defensive line. He is the real deal. And he’s a Washington Husky. It keeps getting better for Washington for that recruiting class of 2018. Wow. Just wow.

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Bret Stuter

Bret Stuter

Bret Stuter is the site expert for Ramblin Fan who has covered the Los Angeles Rams for 5 years. Swept up into loving professional sports from a family that listened to games on the radio, he is at home cheering for HC Sean McVay and the Rams. Articles have been featured on B/R, Fox Sports, CBS Sports, Sporting News, and Washington Post. Bret loves to fish, and watch games at sports bars over pizza.