WEST JORDAN, Utah — Former East High School football star Voi Tunuufi, who went on to play at the University of Washington, died in a car accident early Monday at the age of 23, his family announced.
Tunuufi was pinned under his SUV following the multi-vehicle accident in West Jordan near 9000 South 2200 West. After being extricated, Tunuufi was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
“Lost my son. I don’t know when I’m going to forget this," said Voi's father, Lau. "It’s gonna be hard. Really, really hard."
“I kept thinking like he’s going to walk in and be like, 'April Fools!' or say it was all just a joke and stuff,” added his sister, Nita.
Tunuufi was a 3-star recruit out of East High School following the 2020 season, in which he led the Leopards to the state 6A playoff semifinals. He was named first-team All-Utah as a defensive lineman by multiple outlets, and was rated as the No. 5 recruit in Utah by Rivals.com.
“I’ve coached hundreds, if not thousands of kids in 29 years, and this is the most painful thing I felt as a human. This is tough,” said Voi's former high school coach, Brandon Matich.
Before their son enrolled at East, Voi’s parents asked Matich to take him in. He and his wife agreed, and Voi lived with the family for four years, while the coach helped him on and off the field.
“Someone I looked at as my own and cared for as my own," Matich said, "And a big brother, more importantly, to my children."
The Tunuufi family said the outpouring of love for her son over the past few days has been a huge comfort.
“It helps so much to know that there’s so many people out there that care for him. I definitely didn’t know that Voi had so many friends,” said Voi's mother, Alofa. “It’s good to know that. He was an amazing kid."
At Washington, Tunuufi was a stalwart for the Huskies, playing in 52 games throughout his career and starting 11 during his senior season.
In a social media post, the University of Washington football program wrote, “Our hearts are with the Tunuufi family, his loved ones and every brother who wore the W beside him. Forever in The Pack."
According to the Seattle Times, after graduating from Washington, Tunuufi was not selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. While he was hoping to get a chance in either the UFL or the Canadian Football League, Tunuufi was set to become the defensive line coach at Skyline High School.
"Voi was known as the goofy guy, the one with the contagious laughter," Nita wrote on a GoFundMe page created by the family. "He was always going above and beyond, always giving and making sure people were included."
