RECRUITING: Weber State in the Mix to Land Game Changing Running Back
Updated: Feb 16, 2021
NAME: Tuna Altahir
HIGH SCHOOL: Kamiakin High School (Kennewick, Washington)
POSITION: RB
INTERESTED SCHOOLS: Cal, Eastern Washington, Fordham, Georgetown, Idaho, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Valparaiso, Washington State, Weber State, Wyoming
When almost all major powers in the Big Sky conference are recruiting you, you must be doing something right. Such is the case of Tuna Altahir, a 6’0”, 215-pound running back from Kennewick, Washington, who has the tools to potentially be a game changer for a team in one of FCS’ most competitive and successful conferences.
Altahir, a three-star recruit, prides himself on running hard downfield, making cuts that are sharper than the blades on a Mach 3 razor, and his passion for the game. He tries to model his game after Chris Carson of the Seattle Seahawks, and when you watch him play, you can easily see a lot of similarities between the two. From that self-description and our film study, it’s not hard for us to imagine him fitting in and playing a key part of an offense at this level.
He has consistently demonstrated the ability to break through tackles, he’s able to make multiple cuts, and he’s shown the vision and speed necessary to break off some huge runs, as well. In his Junior season at Kamiakin High School in Kennewick, he had multiple runs of 80+ yards that he took in for scores. The state of Washington hasn’t allowed high school football this fall, so his Senior season has been postponed, but we are certain that he’s improved in the off-season and that he has the ability to be a big-time player for a big-time team.
As far as what he’s looking for in a school, Altahir told Weber State Weekly, “The most important thing … is I want to go where I fit in and am accepted as a player and a person.”
“I’d like a family environment and coaching staff that respects me as a player,” Altahir said. In addition, he mentioned that he wants to go to a team that runs the football and has a winning tradition.
Altahir doesn’t have many weaknesses in his game, but says that he wants to improve his speed and 40 time. He is officially clocked at a 4.6 in the 40-yard dash, but his game speed looks like it might be a bit faster than that.
His favorite class in high school is AP Government, and when he enrolls in college, he would like to be a Criminal Justice major. His intent is to graduate and potentially start working with the FBI. Outside of football, he loves hanging out with his friends and family and playing basketball.
WALDO’S MAGIC 8 BALL PREDICTION
We brought out Waldo’s Magic 8 Ball and asked it whether or not Tuna would be Ogden-bound, and the response we got was, “Don’t count on it.”
Despite what the Magic 8 Ball had to say, we know that Altahir likes the Weber State coaches and spoke highly of the Wildcats’ facilities. We also think that he could fit in well in Ogden. When he told us that he wants a winning tradition and an offense that runs the ball, Weber State sounded like a natural fit. WSW has learned that Weber State is giving a lot of attention to the star running back, but hasn’t yet offered him a scholarship. Altahir said that Weber State and Washington State are the two schools giving him the most attention without having offered a scholarship. In our opinion, Altahir would fit like a tailor-made suit in Ogden, but it will take some work to convince him to get here.