Heading into his junior season, already well established as arguably USC's best defensive player, defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu decided he needed to have a louder impact for the Trojans.

Not in a figurative sense -- very literally, he felt it was time he speak up more.

"I've just tried to connect with everybody, just be more outgoing, because I think that's one thing I was lacking last year and my past years here -- just being able to connect to everybody and talk to everybody and create relationships," he said prior to the start of fall camp. "This year I've just been talking to everybody."

A couple weeks later, after a practice, Tuipulotu was asked about having to become more of a vocal leader for the defense now in his third season. He responded with a question of his own -- had the reporters not been watching practice? (And they hadn't as media is only allowed in for the first 15-20 minutes for select practices).

"Personally, I think I've been a little bit more vocal than I am usually," he continued. "... I'm always yelling, I'm always talking trash, I'm always yelling at the defense to hop around, get loose when it's time to go. I think I've been vocal a little more than I usually am."

All of that said, Tuipulotu is one of the few players on the roster who can have an indelible impact even when he's not the loudest voice in the room, coach Lincoln Riley said.

"It's not in his comfort zone to be extremely vocal and that's OK. Every leader doesn't have to be that. In fact, some of the most influential leaders can be ones that are a little bit more by action, but he's picking his spots and he's being a little more vocal at the right times," Riley said. "He's kind of the guy on the team -- maybe more than anybody -- who moves the needle for us as far as like a mentality standpoint.

"I don't know if we have a more consistent competitor than that guy -- brings it every day. He hasn't missed not one thing, he hasn't missed not one spring practice, hasn't missed one rep of fall camp -- he never misses anything. He always shows up ready to compete. You can just tell our guys, our whole football team feeds off him, so he's vitally important and we need him to continue to step up, both as a leader and also as a player."

Tuipulotu was selected as one of four team captains earlier this week, for those reasons.

And also perhaps because, again, he's the best returning talent the Trojans have on defense, especially on a defensive line that still has a lot of questions.

None about No. 49, though.

His USC career has seemingly played out on a linear upward trajectory, as he emerged as a defensive mainstay by the end of his true freshman season in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign and then followed it up last year with a team-high 5.5 sacks (7.5 tackles for loss), 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown on the way to first-team All-Pac-12 honors.

"I've still got a lot to prove," he said at the start of August.

That he does probably still have room to take another step this fall is one of the most encouraging sources of optimism for a unit coming off the worst defensive season on record, statistically, in program history.

If that's going to change in a big way this year, it's going to start with a big season from Tuipulotu up front.

"You watch some of his previous year tape, he's an impressive guy, but he can play a lot better. We think what he's done on Saturdays up to this point and what he can do, we think there's a huge gap," Riley said. "I think he's definitely improved, and one of the great lessons for all of our players in our program, our young players, the reason that he's improved is he brings it every day and he doesn't miss anything. He never misses practice, he never misses anything. When you do that and you bring a good attitude, you are going to get better and I think he's gotten a lot better."

How Tuipulotu is used this fall will be interesting to track. He is listed at defensive end on the depth chart, but back before the start of camp, defensive line coach Shaun Nua suggested he would be moved around.

"His home is all across the line of scrimmage because he has the knowledge to do so and the skill set good enough to do it, so we're not going to park him in one spot," Nua said then.

Wherever he lines up, USC's own Mr. Reliable is as safe a bet as any to have a big season for the Trojans this fall.