Illinois first Power 5 offer for Cali defender

Illinois is the first Power 5 offer for 2017 defensive tackle Boe Tufele from Harbor City (Calif.) Narbonne.

Defensive coordinator Hardy Nickerson tapped into to his connections in the Golden State to find Tufele.

“My head coach called me this morning and gave me the great news and I was in shock,” Tufele said about the offer from the Illini. “I talked to coach Hardy Nickerson. This is a very big offer to me and I am thankful and appreciate it so much.”

So far, the 6-foot-3, 290-pound Tufele holds offers from Illinois, North Carolina Central, and Northern Colorado.

Coming from the west coast, Tufele admittedly doesn’t know much about Illinois yet. He wants to eventually make a trip to Champaign and check out the school in person.

“I do know that Illinois is in the Big ten conference and have five national championships, which is a very big accomplishment,” Tufele said. “It is a school worth considering as far as taking the next step in my football and education career. I would love to visit the school.”

Expecting other Power 5 schools to following Illinois with offers, Tufele said he hasn’t thought about putting together a list of favorites yet.

“I'm still trying to study more about each school and the way the defense runs,” he said. “I'm just trying to find the best fit for my style of play or see how I can adjust to other defenses. I haven't taken any visits or have any planned yet.”

On film, Tufele is a powerful interior defensive lineman who gets off of the ball well, and can chase guys down with a good short burst of quickness.

“Things college coaches like about me are I'm very aggressive, explosive, good with my hands and dependable to make a play,” Tufele said.

Tufele said he doesn’t yet have a specific timetable on when he will make his college decision.