Day comments of the unique recruitment of Tuimoloau

INDIANAPOLIS – By the time that Big Ten Football Media Days roll around, we have heard plenty about the incoming recruiting class with players signing six-to-eight months prior and all of the praiseworthy comments about what a player will bring to the team in the past and the focus now being on what Mickey Marotti and the strength staff will be able to do with them.

That was not the case with class of 2021 defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau however, someone who did not sign until 20 days ago and just arrive on campus.

Friday was the first chance for Ohio State head coach Ryan Day to comment directly about his final signee of the most recent class and talk about a recruitment that was anything but ordinary.

“it was a very unique situation, this is a family who wanted to make the right decision for JT,” Day said. “Not being able to visit anywhere, never being able to Ohio just to make that decision for the family didn't feel right.”

Much of the class of 2021 had to make decisions without in-person visits going the route of virtual visits via Zoom and other electronic methods. That was not going to work for the Tuimoloau family and they knew that they had time and that programs would remain patient if they wanted any shot at securing J.T.

“They really went about the process, they were deliberate,” Day added. “And I think it was a result of COVID and just not being able to visit, but in the end, just so excited that he's here.”

Tuimoloau bypassed the February traditional signing period, waited until the NCAA lifted the dead period on recruiting visits and then planned to cram five visits into June before making a decision. The five-star defensive end made it through four, called off his Alabama visit and then went into decision mode.

The good news set off fireworks for the Buckeyes on the 4th of July when he decided that Ohio State would be his choice.

It was a unique situation and one that Day is not sure if he will ever be a part of again.

“Probably a once in a lifetime situation,” Day said. “But family, you know, was a part of it all the way. And we wanted to show them that respect that we weren't putting a lot of pressure on him and show him the patience and it paid off in the end.”

This of course creates a historical tandem at end with Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, a fellow five-star defensive end. The ceiling with these two players is sky-high but Day was quick to remind people that one has been on campus since January and committed long before that while the other is still finding his way around the Ohio State campus.

“Jack and JT are in two different situations,” Day said. “Jack came in in January and put on a bunch of weight, he looks great, he's had a really good off-season. JT just got there and so it's going to be a little bit of a different lead into the season for him. But it's a long way to January. So both of them are going to play and hopefully they play a lot.”

Will Ryan Day’s Hawaiian shirt get any more play? Day and the staff met Tuimoloau and his family in Ohio State shirts and those shirts became quite the fashion statement for Ohio State fans and a point of criticism for rival fanbases. Can we expect to see Day in that shirt again?

“The Hawaiian shirt? They were hot, I guess they kind of (flew) off the rack,” Day joked. “So I got mine. Put it away somewhere.”