USC's Tuipulotu's discuss younger brother Tuli signing with Trojans
Tuli Tuipulotu wants to make one thing clear -- he's definitely looking forward to potentially being college teammates with his older brother, if Marlon Tuipulotu doesn't declare for the NFL Draft, but that is not why he's coming here.
"It’s cool to be able to play with him, but it ain’t the reason I’m there. I’m [trying to] ball and win," the younger Tuipulotu told TrojanSports.com on Wednesday evening, after becoming the lone surprise of the early signing day for USC.
A 6-foot-3, 265-pound 3-star defensive end from nearby Lawndale High School, Tuipulotu was the only one of the Trojans' 11 early signees who wasn't already publicly committed to the program. He's also the only defensive end in this 2020 recruiting class so far for USC.
Older brother Marlon, who was a starting defensive tackle for the Trojans as a redshirt sophomore this year, said he knew for about a week that his brother would be following his path to USC -- but he too reiterated that there was never any pressure in that regard.
"I felt like he did a good job just controlling his own recruitment. I mean, our family was all there to support him, whatever he wanted to do," Marlon said. "I think like last week, he just told me and I was just happy for him."
Tuli Tuipulotu says he had a feeling this would be the outcome for a bit longer than that.
Utah and Washington were contenders in his recruitment as well, but all the signs were pointing toward the Trojans for him.
"I personally felt like USC was the school before the season even started. I just had to see if it really was for me and of course I had to talk to my family also," he said.
"I really had a feel for Utah and Washington, but what led to USC was a family decision and I really felt like I could develop as player at USC and I felt like I was already a part of the family during my recruiting process."
Again, though, he is coming to USC to blaze his own path.
"He wasn't really asking for any help. He was just trusting his gut, talking with the family and just finally making the decision," his older brother said.
The younger Tuipulotu was a dominant pass rusher for Lawndale. According to the stats USC provided on signing day, he tallied 95 tackles, 24 tackles for loss and 9 sacks as a junior last year. (No stats were available for his senior season). Rivals has him ranked the No. 22 DE in this class.
"They told me how one of the starting DE’s is leaving so I have an opportunity to start if I work and do my job," he said.
USC is losing redshirt senior defensive end Christian Rector, but there will be plenty of competition for that spot opposite emerging star DE Drake Jackson. Caleb Tremblay performed well in a rotation role this fall and has one year of eligibility left, while Connor Murphy should be back to provide depth there and Nick Figueroa is a versatile option along the defensive line who will try to push for a larger role next fall.
The Trojans needed to bring in another player at the position, though, and addressed that need with Tuipulotu. He said the communication from the USC staff was "steady during the season and started picking up towards the end."
As for his older brother, Marlon Tuipulotu established himself as a fixture on the interior of the defensive line as a redshirt sophomore this season. It would seem to make sense for him to return and further build his profile for the next level, but he is draft eligible. He said Wednesday after practice that he hadn't yet thought about any pending decision.
He's focused on preparing for USC's matchup with Iowa in the Holiday Bowl next week, but he did enjoy the news Wednesday that his younger brother is now set to be a Trojan as well.
"I'm proud of him. Now it's just time for him to finish up high school and get ready to come here," Marlon Tuipulotu said.