Lawndale High School football coach Travis Clark has a handful of former players making their mark in the college ranks this season. He rattles off the names with pride.

"It's been fun over there in Lawndale for me on Saturdays," he says over the phone.

One player keeping his former coach especially entertained week after week has been USC defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu, who now leads college football with 7 sacks and 12 tackles for loss through six games for the undefeated, No. 7-ranked Trojans.

Clark isn't surprised by Tuipulotu's success, nor by the effusive praise that has come from USC's coaches, who have gushed about the junior team captain's consistency and how he never misses a practice or workout -- really even a single rep, for that matter.

"That's him," Clark says. "Tuli's that type of leader from Day 1. Obviously when he was a pup as a [high school] sophomore, he needed to learn some things, but he's always had that mindset. He's always had that approach. He's serious about the sport, he's serious about the things he's trying to accomplish in his life. We knew from early on where his projection was going to be and where he was headed, and he hasn't skipped a beat. He's on path."

What projection and path might that be?

"Oh, that's Tuli," USC linebacker Eric Gentry said after watching his teammate rack up 3 sacks plus a fourth tackle for loss Saturday vs. Washington State. "He's a first-round draft pick -- that's his expectation, that's our expectation. ... He's just doing what the country expects of him. He's an amazing player. He's the guy on this defense."

Tuipulotu might well have been the guy on the Trojans defense last year as a sophomore, leading the team with 5.5 sacks (7.5 TFL), 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown, but he was obscured -- at least nationally -- by the collective failure of a unit that accounted for the worst defensive season (statistically) on record in USC football history.

Maybe that's why he showed zero interest in talking about his starring performance Saturday night after the Trojans' 30-14 win over the visiting Cougars.

"I'm just glad to be winning. That's all I care about is winning," Tuipulotu said instead. "I'll do whatever the team wants me to do so we can get the job done at the end of the game. That's what I love, just winning. It don't matter about how much plays I make as long as we're winning."