From College Profile:
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Twitter: @JT_tuimoloau
Instagram: @_.officialjt._
Pronunciation: TWO-ee-mo-lo-ow
Ohio State Overview
• JT is one of the top defensive ends in all of college football and he will be a candidate for major national honors in 2024
• He enters the 2024 season with 83 career tackles including a team-leading 22.0 tackles-for-losses totalling 115 yards, 11.0 sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, five pass break-ups, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble
• Is coming of an All-America season in 2023 when he totaled 38 tackles and 7.0 tackles-for-loss, including 5.0 quarterback sacks
• Earned first-team all-Big Ten Conference honors (coaches and media polls) for the second consecutive year
• He tied his career-high with six tackles at Notre Dame and then set a new career standard with seven tackles vs. Rutgers
• Has started 26 consecutive games - all 13 in both 2022 and 2023 - and has played in all 39 games the past three years
• As a sophomore in 2022, he was named first-team all-Big Ten Conference after a 28-tackle season that included 10.5 TFLs totalling 39 yards and 3.5 sacks
• 2022 stats also included two interceptions, including a pick-6, four PBUs, four QB hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery
• Had one of the great defensive performances ever by a defensive lineman in the Buckeyes' 44-31 win at Penn State with career-high six tackles, three TFLs, including two sacks, two interceptions, one PBU, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery
• In all, he had a part in forcing four takeaways vs. Penn State which directly led to 21 Ohio State points
• He was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week, the Bednarik Award Player of the Week and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Nittany Lions
• Had two TFLs and four total tackles vs. Michigan
• Contributed 17 total tackles, including 4.5 tackles-for-losses totaling 30 yards as a true freshman in 2021
• Had quarterback sacks in consecutive games vs. Maryland, Indiana and Penn State
• Registered three tackles in the Rose Bowl win vs. Utah
• Is majoring in communications
Honors & Awards
2023: Second-team All-America (AFCA), All-Big Ten Conference (first-team, coaches and media)
2022: All-Big Ten (first-team, media)
More on JT
• Made his commitment to Ohio State on July 4, 2021, becoming the final member of the 2021 recruiting class
• Is the highest-rated defensive prospect to sign with Ohio State in the modern recruiting era (2000-present).
• The nation’s No. 1-rated overall prospect according to 247Sports.com
• His commitment gave the Buckeyes four of the nation’s top-10 ranked players in the 2021 signing class.
• Named the 2021 Polynesian High School Football Player of the Year.
• Led Eastside Catholic to a pair of 3A state titles in his career (2018 and 2019).
• Named the SBLive Washington Player of the Year despite a shortened high school season that occurred in the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• As a junior in 2019, he led Eastside Catholic in tackles (64) and sacks (11).
• Was a 2020 All-American Bowl selection
• Selected as SBLive’s 3A Senior Athlete of the Year
• Four-year member of the Eastside Catholic basketball team with a career scoring average of 11.1 points per game.
• In a pandemic-shortened senior season, he averaged 18.0 points per game and eight rebounds while playing guard, forward and center.
• Is the son of Ponce de Leon Faletoi and Alofa Tuimoloau