Washington football makes top five for coveted, local four-star DT

The Washington Huskies have made the cut for their top available target along the defensive line, four-star defensive tackle Tevita Nonu.

On Wednesday evening, the 6-foot-4, 270-pound product of O'Dea High School in Seattle, who is ranked as the No. 245 overall prospect and No. 26 defensive lineman in the 2027 class by the 247Sports Composite, trimmed his list of 17 offers down to five, listing the Huskies alongside Arizona, Michigan, Notre Dame, and Oregon as he draws closer to a decision.

Of those finalists, the Wildcats are the only other program that has an official visit scheduled with him, which is set for May 29, before he takes a trip to Washington on June 5. Nonu had also lined up an official visit with the UCLA Bruins for May 15, but it appears unlikely he'll be taking that trip at this point.

Either way, the Huskies appear to be in the lead for his services.

Thanks to a strong relationship with defensive line coach Jason Kaufusi, which has been prominent throughout the recruiting process, the Huskies hold a crystal ball to reel in his pledge, where he'd be a great fit alongside four-star defensive tackle commit Jon Ioane.

"Has a projectable 6-foot-3.5, 275-pound frame and looks lean with plenty of room to pack on good weight," former 247Sports analyst Greg Biggins wrote in Nonu's evaluation.

"Plays some as an edge rusher but predominantly lines up as a traditional defensive tackle, and that’s where we like him at the next level as well. Does a nice job splitting double teams and getting in the backfield. Shows excellent quickness, moves well laterally, is a very fluid athlete for his size. Has plenty of length, closes well on the football, and shows the burst and natural athleticism to chase down plays from behind."

Washington currently holds two commits along the defensive line as part of the nation's No. 12-ranked recruiting class: Ioane and three-star defensive lineman Matamatagi Uiagalelei.

This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies make top five for local, coveted four-star DT