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At the end of the final weekend of official visits before Wednesday’s National Signing Day, the Yellow Jackets added a pretty big surprise to their 2017 recruiting class in the form of California OL Boe Tufele.
Breaking: One of the top linemen in southern California, Boe Tufele, commits to #GeorgiaTech. https://t.co/xX25WdOVy7 pic.twitter.com/c86jNiAkkB
— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) January 29, 2017
Tufele is a recruit that slid under the Georgia Tech radar for quite a while. I had not heard of him until recently, but he visited Georgia Tech this weekend and decided to commit to playing on the Flats. He hails from Harbor City in Southern California (right outside of Long Beach), which might explain why we have not heard much about him. While he is a combo lineman, it was confirmed by Kelly Quinlan on Twitter that Tufele committed as an offensive lineman. Tufele is a 3-star recruit according to the 247Sports Composite (0.8207), and becomes the fifth OL commit this class. He chose Georgia Tech over Illinois and Hawaii.
Tufele is listed at 6’3” and 290 pounds by several recruiting sites, although he looks even larger than that and is listed at 320 pounds on his Hudl page. He has the ability to play guard or tackle, but at his weight would probably fit best at guard. (That would also fit Georgia Tech’s recent trends of putting its heaviest offensive linemen at guard — right guard in particular.)
Looking at Tufele’s highlights, it’s tough to perfectly translate his play as a defensive tackle into a projection for how he’ll fit on Georgia Tech’s offensive line. That said, it does make sense why the coaching staff likes his prospects. Tufele shows good athleticism for his size and uses his hands very well -- both of which will translate to the offensive line. He also shows a good motor, which is more of a defensive line-related skill but would certainly translate to the opposite side of the trenches as well. Without a ton of record to go off of, it will be interesting to follow how Tufele translates to Georgia Tech’s offensive line.
Congratulations to Tufele, his family, and the coaching staff!
Tufele’s commitment brings Georgia Tech’s recruiting class to 22, which now looks like this:
Georgia Tech’s 2017 Recruiting Class
| Pos | Name | Ht | Wt | Hometown | Rivals | 247Sports Comp | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Name | Ht | Wt | Hometown | Rivals | 247Sports Comp | Status |
| DB | Gentry Bonds | 6-1 | 190 | Murfreesboro, TN | 4-star (5.8) | 3-star (0.8545) | Enrolled (1/9/2017) |
| DB | Jaytlin Askew | 5-9 | 170 | Powder Springs, GA | 3-star (5.7) | 3-star (0.8646) | Enrolled (1/9/2017) |
| P | Pressley Harvin III | 6-0 | 230 | Sumter, SC | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8145) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| OL | Connor Hansen | 6-2 | 320 | Tallahassee, FL | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8238) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| LB | TD Roof | 5-11 | 202 | Buford, GA | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8346) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DB | Dameon Williams | 5-10 | 170 | Norcross, GA | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8472) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| OL | Zach Quinney | 6-6 | 260 | Savannah, GA | 3-star (5.6) | 3-star (0.8396) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| OL | Michael Minihan | 6-3 | 285 | Honolulu, HI | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8403) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DB | Tre' Swilling | 6-0 | 180 | New Orleans, LA | 4-star (5.8) | 3-star (0.8752) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| LB | Bruce Jordan-Swilling | 6-0 | 215 | New Orleans, LA | 4-star (5.8) | 4-star (0.9150) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| RB | Jerry Howard, Jr. | 6-0 | 210 | Rock Hill, SC | 3-star (5.6) | 3-star (0.8147) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| QB | Tobias Oliver | 6-2 | 180 | Warner Robins, GA | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8312) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DL | Cortez Alston | 6-3 | 250 | Atlanta, GA | 3-star (5.6) | 3-star (0.8534) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| OL | Charlie Clark | 6-4 | 270 | Atlanta, GA | 2-star (5.3) | 3-star (0.8072) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| RB | Jordan Ponchez-Mason | 6-1 | 205 | Gallatin, TN | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8158) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DE | Kelton Dawson | 6-2 | 240 | Stockbridge, GA | 3-star (5.5) | 3-star (0.8359) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DB | Avery Showell | 6-2 | 200 | Cartersville, GA | 3-star (5.6) | 3-star (0.8320) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| LB | Jaquan Henderson | 6-1 | 210 | Covington, GA | 3-star (5.7) | 3-star (0.8813) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DL | Antwan Owens | 6-4 | 286 | Tallahassee, FL | 3-star (5.6) | 3-star (0.8192) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| K | Brenton King | 6-0 | 165 | Hoschton, GA | 2-star (5.4) | NR | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DB | Tariq Carpenter | 6-2 | 191 | Ludowici, GA | 2-star (5.4) | 3-star (0.8182) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DT | Boe Tufele | 6-3 | 290 | Harbor City, CA | 2-star (5.3) | 3-star (0.8207) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| DB | Kaleb Oliver | 6-3 | 200 | Murfreesboro, TN | 4-star (5.8) | 3-star (0.8670) | Signed (2/1/2017) |
| WR | Adonicas Sanders | 6-1 | 190 | North Charleston, SC | 2-star (5.2) | NR | Signed (2/1/2017) |