‘Forever in the pack’: Former UW defensive lineman Voi Tunuufi dies at 23

Voi Tunuufi, a former defensive lineman for the University of Washington (UW) football team, died Sunday in a car accident. Tunuufi was 23 years old.

“Our hearts are with the Tunuufi family, his loved ones, and every brother who wore the W beside him,” the UW football program’s social media account stated on Monday. “Forever in The Pack.”

Our hearts are with the Tunuufi family, his loved ones, and every brother who wore the W beside him. Forever in The Pack. pic.twitter.com/7pmznS80UO

— Washington Football (@UW_Football) May 5, 2026

From Salt Lake City to Montlake — Tunuufi made Seattle home and never looked back

Tunuufi began his career as a Husky in 2021 after drawing strong interest out of East High in Salt Lake City. He signed on with head coach Jimmy Lake and played under Kalen DeBoer and Jedd Fisch.

In 14 starts with the Huskies, Tunuufi collected 86 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, 12.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. Tunuufi’s last appearance in a Husky uniform came in the 2024 Sun Bowl, when the team fell to the Louisville Cardinals 35-34 in a thriller that ended after a failed two-point conversion on the final play.

Despite Tunuufi’s participation in UW’s Pro Day, he went undrafted in the 2025 NFL draft and was not offered an invite to a rookie minicamp. Since then, Tunuufi spent last year training for a chance to play in either the Canadian Football League or the United Football League.

Additionally, Tunuufi had plans to reunite with his former East High School coach, Brandon Matich, as a defensive line coach for Skyline High in Salt Lake City. Matich shared only good words in remembrance of his friend and player.

“He’s the best football player I ever coached,” Matich told The Seattle Times. “And he was an even better person. Everybody loved Voi. The calls I’ve gotten from people I haven’t heard from in years have been reaching out. He was a powerful personality.”

Under Matich, who coached 15 years at East High, Tunuufi was the first player to start as a high school freshman and one of two players to start in all four years of his high school career, according to The Seattle Times.

As a senior, Tunuufi recorded 124 tackles, 14 sacks, and a fumble recovery en route to the school’s third state semifinal appearance under his time at East High.

Inopportune recruitment process leads to a life-long Husky

Tunuufi found a home on Montlake following a rocky recruitment period hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. A majority of his official visits took place over video calls, Matich shared with The Seattle Times, but he picked the UW from the pack because of his ties with defensive line coach and co-defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe.

The reunion was cut short after Lake was terminated in the middle of the 2021 season, which was followed by Malloe’s departure later that year after the season concluded.

Malloe found a new home at UCLA, but Tunuufi chose to stay with UW under DeBoer and newly hired defensive coordinators Chuck Morrell and William Inge.

Tunuufi played in all 28 games where DeBoer manned the helm, capturing signature bowl wins during this time as the UW beat the Texas Longhorns in the 2022 Alamo Bowl, inched past the rival Oregon Ducks for a 2023 Pac-12 Championship victory, and remained perfect through the regular season en route to a 2023 Sugar Bowl win and College Football Playoff national championship appearance.

Following the Huskies’ success in 2023, DeBoer left for Tuscaloosa to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide, but Tunuufi stayed behind to team up with current head coach Jedd Fisch and former defensive coordinator Steve Belichick. Belichick’s arrival acted as Tunuufi’s fifth defensive coordinator in four years at the UW, according to The Seattle Times.

Tunuufi started a career-high 11 games in his senior season, recording 36 tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, and 2.5 sacks.

“It was an easy decision to choose Seattle,” Sanita Tunuufi told The Seattle Times. “It wasn’t because of the coaches. It wasn’t because of the staff. It was because he loved UW. He loved being in Seattle.”

Voi Tunuufi is survived by his parents, Lauama and Alofa Tunuufi; his sisters, Leone Pulufana, Sanita Tunuufi, Christina Sika, Makayla Tunuufi, and Angela Tunuufi; two brothers-in-law; and five nieces and nephews.

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