UCLA Makes 4-Star Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais' Top-5

The Bruins join North Carolina, Oklahoma, Washington and Colorado in the list TI announced on Friday. Though the Huskies have had the edge in a few recent battles for prospects and the Buffs are in his home state, insiders reveal that Foster and the Bruins still have a great chance to land the highly-coveted lineman.

247Sports insider Tracy Pierson, for BruinReportOnline, revealed promising updates for TI and UCLA's chances at acquiring him.

"The feeling is that it's UCLA, UW or Stanford for TI, and could come down to UCLA and UW," Pierson wrote.

TI was ranked fifth on Pierson's list of potential pledges for UCLA through the month of June, but noted that he could've ranked much higher given how much of a priority he is to UCLA.

""TI", as he's always referred to, is so good I was tempted to put him No. 1 on this list," he said. "He's a beast. And he's at a high-priority position -- nose tackle.  He's also a good student (with a Stanford offer). He's physically developed enough -- and just plain good enough -- that you could see him getting immediate playing time. He could be UCLA's anchor on the defensive line, a Jay Toia type, for multiple seasons."

The four-star would be a tremendous addition to Foster's already strong 2026 recruiting class. The Bruins rank 16th nationally after losing previously committed twin wide receivers Jaron and Kennan Pula earlier in the week.

247Sports national recruiting analyst Greg Biggins evaluated Umu-Cais. Here's what he had to say about him amid his recruitment:

"Umu-Cais or ‘TI’ as he’s called, is on the short list when talking about the top overall player in the state for the ’26 class. He projects as a classic nose guard who could also play the three-tech but is a sure fire interior lineman who can do some damage. He has the body/mass to take on a double team, hold his ground and still get a push up the field. He’s a naturally strong player who plays a power game. You can’t move him and he shows some pass rush ability as well. He has the length you want to see for an interior lineman as well and as he continues to improve athletically in terms of his short area quickness and burst, he’ll take his game to another level."