Jay Tufele

Tufele attended Bingham High School in South Jordan, Utah. As a sophomore in 2014, Tufele started on the varsity team, making 63 tackles and six sacks, which earned him a spot on the MaxPreps Sophomore All-American first team. As a junior, Tufele anchored a defense that tallied eight shutouts, making 57 tackles and 10.5 sacks on his way to being named the Salt Lake Tribune’s high school football MVP.[1] Tufele did not play his senior year due to a torn ligament in his foot.

Tufele also played rugby in high school.

Recruiting

Tufele was a consensus top-40 recruit and received scholarship offers from over 20 schools, including Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Utah, and USC.[2][3] Tufele announced his commitment to USC on National Signing Day and enrolled in June.[4]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jay Tufele DL	South Jordan, Utah	Bingham High School	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	297 lb (135 kg)	Feb 1, 2017
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 4 (DL), 1 (UT)  247Sports: 3 (DL), 1 (UT)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.

Tufele redshirted the 2017 season. As a redshirt freshman in 2018, Tufele appeared in 12 games, starting five times. He made 23 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and three sacks. In a week eight game against Utah, Tufele returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown, making him a nominee for the 2018 Piesman Trophy, which is awarded for the most impressive play made by a lineman.[5] After the season, he was named to the All-Pac-12 second team, won USC’s Defensive Lineman of the Year award, and was a Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year honorable mention.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2019, Tufele started all 13 games and made 41 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks, which was the second-most on the team. After the season, Tufele was named to the All-Pac-12 first team, an honorable mention on Phil Steele’s All-American team, and repeated as the Defensive Lineman of the Year for USC.

Tufele is of Polynesian descent. His father Line also played football. Tufele has a sister and younger brother.

• USC Trojans bio
• Jay Tufele on Twitter