The Washington Huskies have made some major headway with some of the top defensive back prospects on the West Coast in the 2027 class, and on Sunday night, one of the top-ranked safeties in California included them in his top five.
Four-star Malakai Taufoou, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound product of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California, cut his list of 22 offers down to five, including the Huskies alongside BYU, California, Oregon, and Penn State.
Taufoou, who is ranked as the nation's No. 393 overall prospect and No. 35 safety by the 247Sports Composite, has also already lined up official visits with three of those programs. He's set to check out coach Matt Campbell and the Nittany Lions on June 5, before staying local to visit coach Tosh Lupoi and the Golden Bears on June 11, before rounding things out in Seattle on June 19.
NEWS: Four-Star Safety Malakai Taufoou is down to 5 Schools, he tells me for @RivalsThe 6’2 195 S from Redwood City, CA is ranked as the No. 6 Safety in the Golden State (per Rivals)Where Should He Go?https://t.co/SLLHyB8DYQ pic.twitter.com/Z7mvusv1M6
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) April 20, 2026
During his junior season, Taufoou posted 46 tackles with 6 for loss, 4 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups while also thriving on special teams, with a pair of blocked field goals and blocked punts to his name.
As the Huskies continue to search for someone to play the down safety role in the defense, where Alex McLaughlin earned an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2025, Taufoou looks like a strong fit in the position. His high school film shows the versatility that defensive coordinator Ryan Walters desires, lining up at several different positions on the back end, physicality, ball skills, and instincts to trigger downhill quickly to limit ball carriers in the run game.
The Huskies currently hold one 2027 commit in the secondary in three-star cornerback Maurice Williams, and have set up official visits with three other four-star safeties in California: Gavin Williams, Isala Aisa Wily-Ava, and Jaden Walk-Green.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington Huskies among top five for four-star California safety