Heel Tough Blog: 2026 3✮ DL Target Set to Announce Decision This Weekend

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It’s no secret that the Tar Heels are searching for another defensive tackle in the 2026 recruiting cycle and one of the team’s top targets at the position set his official visit date earlier today.

As first reported by Brandon Huffman of 247Sports, 2026 3✮ DL Tufanua Ionatana Umu-Cais will be announcing his commitment this coming Saturday on the CBS Sports YouTube channel. His decision will come down to his final five schools (UNC, Colorado, Oklahoma, UCLA and Washington) which he announced back in late June following a full month of official visits.

Umu-Cais took an official visit to Chapel Hill back on the weekend of June 13th and seemed to establish themselves as serious contenders in this race.

Umu-Cais, the No. 495 overall prospect and No. 58 defensive lineman, hails from Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, CO. This past season, as a junior, he finished with 75 total tackles, 10.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks as he helped propel his team to a 5A state championship. In his sophomore season in 2023, he collected 82 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks on the way to earning all-state honors from the Denver Post. Back in 2022, he started his career by compiling 23 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks.

Heading into the decision, it feels like there is opportunity here for a few teams, including the Tar Heels. In-state Colorado is probably seen as the slight favorite right now, but UCLA is making a heavy push late here as well. The question now is do the Tar Heels turn up the heat in the final days of this recruitment to add him as maybe the final piece to a pretty strong defensive line haul in this class.