Faatui Tuitele is down to five.

The five-star defensive tackle from Honolulu (Hawaii) St. Louis announced on Monday that he had trimmed his long list of suitors to just a handful of programs heading into the summer.

Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State, Texas and Washington are left standing among an offer sheet that has surpassed the three-dozen mark for the nation’s No. 2-rated defensive tackle, per the 247Sports Composite.

The 6-foot-4, 299-pound prospect took unofficial visits to Alabama, Ohio State and Texas this spring, and made it to Clemson and Washington last summer. He broke down his five leaders with 247Sports.

-- Alabama: “They develop their players and prepare them for the NFL, which is my ultimate goal. Their success speaks for itself. I have built a strong relationship with Coach Tosh Lupoi, who is an outstanding person when you speak to him. Coach Nick Saban also cares for his players and coaches. Their programs are top notch.”

-- Clemson: “Coach Todd Bates flew down to see me this past spring ball, which meant a lot to me. You don’t see a coach often flying that far to Hawaii to watch a recruit. People at Clemson were very welcoming when I visited. I got to stay with Christian Wilkins overnight and he told me more about Clemson. Nothing but great people there with a great culture, great faith and great football.”

-- Ohio State: “The people there are down to earth. Talking and hanging out with Coach Urban Meyer really opened my eyes to a lot of things. He is a great coach but an even greater person. He was at Utah before, so he understands how Polynesians act and feel. Coach Larry Johnson has also developed a lot of NFL talent and understands the game well.”

-- Texas: “Coach Jake Langi and coach Oscar Giles are two guys who I talk to on a regular basis. They took time on their day off to show me around campus and tour the facilities. That part meant a lot to me. Not too many people will do that for a student-athlete. Watching film with coach Giles when I was on campus really showed me how great of a coach he is.”

-- Washington: “Coach Ikaika Malloe is one of the reasons that I chose U Dub to be in my top five. He’s from Hawaii, so he understands us and the struggle to expose our talents to the nation. He has been nothing but real with me since the first day. He really loves and cares for his players, and he treats them like they are his own.”

USC was a notable omission, given that the Trojans had garnered over 60 percent of the votes on the Crystal Ball and Tuitele had taken numerous trips to campus, including last weekend when he was in Los Angeles for a linemen competition.

Tuitele intends to take all five official visits before making a decision, with a time frame possible by the end of summer so he can focus on his senior season. He is the nation’s No. 24 overall prospect, No. 2 at his position and No. 1 in the state of Hawaii, per the 247Sports Composite.