Once committed to the Huskies, touted DT prospect Marlon Tuipulotu now headed to USC

The highest-rated recruit committed in Washington’s 2017 class says he no longer plans to play for the Huskies.

Marlon Tuipulotu, a 6-foot-2-1/2, 295-pound defensive tackle from Central High School in Independence, Oregon, considered among the top 60 recruits in the country by some services, posted a statement on his Twitter page Monday night announcing that he is now committed to the USC Trojans.

Tuipulotu had been committed to the Huskies since mid-April, but visited USC recently, according to Scout.com, wooed by Trojans assistant Johnny Nansen, a former member of Steve Sarkisian’s staff at Washington. Scout.com considers Tuipulotu a four-star recruit and the No. 53 overall player in the 2017 class. He is the second recruit in his class to back out of a commitment to Washington (Sumner High running back Connor Wedington was the first).

In a story dated Jan. 16, Tuipulotu told Scout.com of his official visit to UW: “I loved my time up there just hanging out with all of the players and the other commits. It was a good chance for me to spend some time getting to know a few of my future teammates.” Less than a week later, USC was able to change his mind.

The Huskies currently have 15 known players committed in their 2017 recruiting class. Signing day is Wednesday, February 1.

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 7:13 PM with the headline "Once committed to the Huskies, touted DT prospect Marlon Tuipulotu now headed to USC."