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The top recruit in the state of Utah in 2016 is Bingham (South Jordan, Utah) defensive tackle Jay Tufele. Tufele is rated the No. 56 prospect and No. 3 defensive tackle according to the 247Sports Composite Ranking. A month and a half ago we reported that Tufele was supposedly down to three including Michigan, Ohio State, and Utah. Now, according to Salt Lake Tribune prep writer Trevor Phibbs, Utah may be in the lead for Tufele, the top defensive tackle in the West.
Bingham 4* DT Jay Tufele: "I really like Utah. Got to give it to the in-state school." #Utes appear to be ahead of #GoBucks, #GoBlue, #USC.
— Trevor Phibbs (@trevorphibbs) August 24, 2016
Tufele plays at the same high school as Star and Lowell Lotulelei, and many have said he is more dominant in high school than either of the Lotulelei’s were. His dominance at the high school level have caused many to compare him to former Highland (Salt Lake City, Utah) five-star recruit Haloti Ngata, who currently plays in the NFL for the Detroit Lions. If Utah manages to land Tufele, he would be the highest rated recruit ever for the Utah program.