Tuli Tuipulotu finds his own way to be the leader of USC’s defense

He has heard the word many times over many months and tried as hard as he might to live up to its weighty label, but eight games into a standout junior season, Tuli Tuipulotu still isn’t entirely comfortable acknowledging it out loud. Still, since the spring, when USC’s new staff first identified him as an ideal leader for its revamped defense, Tuipulotu has remained reluctant to view himself in the same light. “I just like to feel like we’re all the same,” Tuipulotu said, “like we all can be that guy.” His trepidation traces back long before Riley’s staff took over at USC, to his days at Lawndale High, where Tuipulotu first transferred ahead of his sophomore year. “He knew that was the coach’s order, so he wanted to make sure he fulfilled it.” The same would be true three years later, when Shaun Nua took over as USC’s defensive line coach. Both Riley and Nua said that they’ve seen Tuipulotu embrace his role as a leader with the same willingness this season — even if he’s reluctant to say so.