UW football secures commitment from Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais (Seattle Times)

DerekJohnson

A general view of the Husky Stadium end zone during the first half of an NCAA college football game between Washington and Washington State, Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson) (Lindsey Wasson / AP)

By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter

Coach Jedd Fisch’s pitch to Tufanua Ionatana “TI” Umu-Cais was straightforward. Choose the people, not just the place. 

“Basically, what that means is don’t choose the materialistic things over relationships,” Umu-Cais said during a livestream on YouTube, “because relationships will take you farther in life. And that meant a lot to me.”

Umu-Cais, a 6-foot-3, 307-pound defensive lineman from Englewood, Colo., announced his commitment to Washington Saturday afternoon during a livestream with CBS Sports. He’s the 21st player to join UW’s 2026 recruiting class and represents a massive recruiting win for the Huskies, who’ve struggled to add high-end defensive tackle recruits for the past few cycles. 

“He’s a naturally strong player who plays a power game,” Greg Biggins, 247Sports national recruiting analyst, wrote in an evaluation March 3. “You can’t move him and he shows some pass-rush ability as well.”

Umu-Cais, who plays two ways at Cherry Creek High in the Denver area, chose Washington out of a final group of schools that also included Colorado, North Carolina, Oklahoma and UCLA. 

He also took official visits to Stanford and Colorado State, and held offers from around the country including Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Boston College, California, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Miami, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Texas, USC, Utah, Washington State and Wisconsin. 

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Umu-Cais credited his relationship with Fisch and defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi for his decision to choose Washington. Umu-Cais also said his desire to play for defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, a fellow Colorado native, influenced his choice. 

“He’s a great dude,” Umu-Cais said. “I love Coach Walters. He calls me every now and then. But whenever we talk, it’s from the heart, I feel like. Making this decision — obviously, it wasn’t easy. But dudes like Coach Walters make it pretty easy to make that choice.”

A three-star prospect according to the 247Sports composite ratings, Umu-Cais is the No. 2 player in Colorado, the No. 54 defensive lineman and the No. 454 player nationally. However, 247Sports is considerably higher on Umu-Cais, ranking him a four-star recruit and the No. 40 defensive lineman in the country. 

“He has the length you want to see for an interior lineman as well,” Biggins wrote, “and as he continues to improve athletically in terms of his short area quickness and burst, he’ll take his game to another level.”

Umu-Cais is the first player from Colorado to commit to the Huskies since offensive lineman Zachary Henning, a Grandview High standout, signed with Washington during the 2023 cycle. Prior to Henning, UW’s most recent Colorado commit was offensive tackle Roger Rosengarten out of Valor Christian High, who signed with the Huskies during the 2020 recruiting cycle.

The Huskies and Kaufusi have endured two difficult recruiting cycles. Washington offered 21 defensive linemen and 15 edge rushers in 2025. Under former coach Kalen DeBoer, UW received a commitment from composite four-star defensive lineman Josiah Sharma. However, the Folsom High standout decommitted following DeBoer’s departure and eventually ended up at Texas. 

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Kaufusi and Fisch’s staff got official visits from composite four-star edge rusher Smith Orogbo and defensive lineman Chace Sims, only to watch them sign with Texas and Texas A&M, respectively. Composite three-star edge rusher CJ May also visited UW in 2025 but committed to Louisville. 

So Washington turned to some rising Pacific Northwest talent, instead: Dominic Macon, a defensive tackle out of Adrienne C. Nelson High in Happy Valley, Oregon, and Victor Sanchez Hernandez, an edge rusher from Kamiak High in Mukilteo. Macon was a state wrestling champion, while Sanchez Hernandez was an accomplished taekwondo fighter before focusing full-time on football. 

The Huskies also signed edge rusher Devin Hyde from Menlo-Atherton High in the Bay Area and versatile defensive lineman Caleb Smith out of Parker High in Birmingham, Alabama. All four of UW’s defensive line signings in 2025 were composite three-star prospects. Macon, the No. 918 player in the country, finished the cycle with the highest rating. 

Kaufusi and the Huskies offered 26 defensive tackles and 20 edge rushers during the 2026 cycle. UW landed one of its priority targets when Kennedy Catholic High’s Derek Colman-Brusa, the state’s consensus top player, committed to the Huskies May 4. 

Washington’s defensive tackle recruiting, however, hadn’t been as productive. The Huskies heavily pursued local O’Dea High defensive lineman David Schwerzel, the state’s composite No. 2 prospect. He visited UW at the end of May, but committed to UCLA June 14. 

UW offered 6-3, 280-pound defensive tackle Ta’a Malu, a local recruit who plays at Annie Wright Schools in the Tacoma area, less than two weeks after Schwerzel chose the Bruins. Malu committed to the Huskies July 4. He’s a composite three-star prospect, the No. 20 player in the state and the No. 1,611 player nationally. 

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“[Malu] has a quick first step but is more of a straight-line guy right now,” Biggins wrote in an evaluation July 3, “and it’s another reason we like him as a tackle or even growing into a nose guard at the next level. Shows off a high-level motor and pursues the football well outside his area. Plays with sound technique, uses his hands well and makes plays up and down the defensive line. He plays a power game and with his active feet and hands, should be a very solid player at the Power 4 level.”

Landing Umu-Cais alleviates some of the pressure on UW’s defensive line recruiting. The Huskies have also leaned on transfer portal additions at defensive tackle more than almost any other position.

Sebastian Valdez finished fourth on the team with 49 total tackles during his lone season at UW after transferring from Montana State before the 2024 season. He contributed 4.5 tackles for a loss including two sacks and a pass breakup, too, earning All-Big Ten honorable mention status from the conference’s coaches. Valdez signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent after exhausting his eligibility. 

Kaufusi brought three defensive linemen in through the transfer portal for 2025, seeking to replicate Valdez’s success. UW added senior defensive tackle Anterio Thompson from Western Michigan, fifth-year defensive tackle Simote Pepa from Utah and senior defensive lineman Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, who lines up at edge and on the interior, from Arizona. 

They’ll reinforce a defensive tackle group that includes sixth-year lineman Logan Sagapolu, juniors Bryce Butler and Armon Parker, sophomore Elinneus Davis, redshirt freshman Omar Khan and Macon. The Huskies also have sixth-year defensive lineman Deshawn Lynch and Smith, who can both line up at either edge or on the inside like Uiagalelei. Junior Jayvon Parker’s availability for 2025 remains uncertain as he recovers from the season-ending Achilles injury he suffered early in the 2024 campaign. 

Sagapolu, Pepa, Lynch and Uiagalelei are all expected to run out of eligibility following the season. Thompson may be able to play beyond 2025 after starting his collegiate career at Iowa Western Community College. 

Umu-Cais, along with Malu, will ensure UW has more young depth to build up as it tries to replace all the outgoing production.

“He projects as a classic nose guard who could also play the three-tech but is a sure fire interior lineman who can do some damage,” Biggins wrote about Umu-Cais. “He has the body (and) mass to take on a double team, hold his ground and still get a push up the field.”

UW’s 2026 recruiting class

Name	Position	Composite rating	Signed?	Height / Weight	School	Hometown
Kodi Greene	OT	★★★★★		6-6 / 320	Mater Dei	Renton, Wash.
Brian Bonner Jr.	RB	★★★★		6-0.5 / 185	Valencia	Valencia, Calif.
*Derek Colman-Brusa	EDGE	★★★★		6-5 / 267	Kennedy Catholic	Burien, Wash.
Mason James	WR	★★★★		5-10.5 / 175	Norman North	Norman, Okla.
Derek Zammit	QB	★★★★		6-1 / 195	DePaul Catholic	Wayne, N.J.
Gavin Day	S	★★★★		6-3 / 190	Faith Lutheran	Las Vegas, Nev.
Jeron Jones	CB	★★★★		6-0 / 165	Mission Viejo	Mission Viejo, Calif.
Dre Pollard	ATH	★★★★		6-0 / 175	Ed W. Clark	Las Vegas, Nev.
Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais	DT	★★★		6-3 / 307	Cherry Creek	Englewood, Colo.
Rahsjon Duncan	ATH	★★★		6-1 / 186	McClymonds	Oakland, Calif.

*local recruit

Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Seattle Times staff reporter Andy Yamashita covers UW football.

CFetters_Nacho_Lover

Thanks Taft!

dirtysouwfdawg

love to see the times calling out shitty recruiting. Only a blind person couldn’t see that @PostGameOrangeSlices

They’ve got to land some serious bad asses on the DL and DE front in the next cycle. Hopefully, they sell some top guys on early PT and reel them in instead of just VOTT and visit friend zone.
or Maybe, Jedd will fuck around and use the portal…