JT Tuimoloau, 5* 2021 DL, Bellevue (Eastside Catholic), WA (Offered 9/22/17)

bluechipuwrecruits said:

Another layup probably

Maybe a long snapper to go with the 8 kickers

Hope he didn’t take someone else’s spot

Visit report from SC. Pretty basic

The visit also included a helicopter ride of Los Angeles.

And as much as USC tried to convince Tuimoloau to come play his college football in Los Angeles, it took that much coaxing to get him on the helicopter.

“It was my first time being on a helicopter and it took a lot of convincing,” said Tuimoloau. “But It was a great view. I saw the Santa Monica Pier, all of LA, we went to the Hollywood Sign, went over the ocean and it was great. We didn’t just see the campus, we saw everywhere around L.A.

While he was airborne, his parents stayed on the ground.

“It was just me up there,” said Tuimoloau.

Tuimoloau was hosted by Jordan Iosefa on the visit.

“Jordan was my host and he was a great dude,” said Tuimoloau. “He loves USC, loves being there, and he sets it straight and he doesn’t sugarcoat things. That was one of the big things, I’m glad I had that on the visit, with him being my host, that was a great part of my trip and I had fun with the Poly players.

Tuimoloau spent a lot of time with current Trojan players.

“I was with Vavae Malepeai, Drake Jackson, Korey Foreman for a good amount, Drake Lodnon and then Julien Simon came by,” said Tuimoloau.

It was also an opportunity to meet with Foreman, who was ranked right behind Tuimoloau in the 247Sports rankings as the No. 2 player nationally in the 2021 class.

“I have nothing but respect for him,” said Tuimoloau. “We didn’t talk rankings or anything, we just talked football and how much we respect each other. It’s rare to talk with someone like that.”

There was also ample time with the Trojan coaches.

“I was with coach (Clay) Helton and coach Vic (So’oto) most of the visit and then the helicopter. And then I talked with coach TO (Todd Orlando) when I was on the ground. I also talked with coach (Graham) Harrell, coach (Seth) Doege and coach Donte (Williams).”

A two-sport star, Tuimoloau boasts a pair of Pac-12 basketball offers, he also got to spend time with the USC basketball coaches.

“I got to talk to coach (Andy) Enfield and coach (Jason) Hart toured me around campus. His son played EYBL and he said he remembered watching me in that.”

Tuimoloau also got to walk in the Coliseum.

“The Coliseum is big,” said Tuimoloau. “It was my first time inside the Coliseum since Uncle Rey (Maualuga) played.”

During the photo shoot, Tuimoloau wore the No. 33 jersey but he also sported the No. 55 jersey that many greats wore during their time at USC.

“When I went outside and the majority of my visit, I got to wear the No. 55,” said Tuimoloau. “My dad told me how special that number really is at USC.”

Tuimoloau sat down with the Trojan staffers and athletic administration to talk NIL and the USC BLVD campaign.

“We talked a lot about the NIL and they way they structure it,” said Tuimoloau.

There were also plenty of meetings with the coaches about USC’s defensive scheme and how he’d be used.

“Coach TO showed us their defensive installment, talking more about what we did on Zoom, and I saw them in team meetings,” said Tuimoloau. “I also got up to see their 7am weight lifting.”

Tuimoloau said the food they ate was also top-notch.

“They fed me really good,” said Tuimoloau. “We went to Flemings Steakhouse, Crustacean, Homestate Breakfast Tacos and The Griddle.”

With his second trip under his belt, Tuimoloau heads out to Ohio State this weekend for visit No. 3, returns home and hits Oregon before wrapping his visits up with a trip to Alabama.

“Overall, it was a great visit,” said Tuimoloau. “They were respectful, we had good meetings, the energy was good and everyone was up the whole trip,” said Tuimoloau.