| No. 45 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | September 3, 2002 Hawthorne, California, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 266 lb (121 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Lawndale (Lawndale, California) | ||||||||||
| College: | USC (2020–2022) | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2023 / Round: 2 / Pick: 54 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Tuli Tuipulotu (born September 3, 2002) is an American football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was named the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American in 2022. He played college football at USC.
Tuipulotu grew up in Hawthorne, California and attended Lawndale High School. He was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at USC over offers from California, Utah, Washington, and Stanford.[1][2] He is of Tongan descent.[3]
As a freshman, Tuipulotu played in all six games with three starts in USC's COVID-19 shortened 2020 season and had 22 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss of and two sacks.[4][5] He was named first-team All-Pac-12 Conference after recording 48 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and a team 5.5 sacks.[6][7] Tuipulotu was named a team captain entering his junior season. He finished the season with an FBS-leading 13.5 sacks, and was named a finalist for the Bednarik, Nagurski, and Hendricks awards.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
266 lb (121 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | |||||||||
| All values are from the NFL Combine.[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Tuipulotu was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round, 54th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft.[10]
Tuipulotu's older brother, Marlon Tuipulotu, also played defensive tackle at USC and currently plays in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles.[11] He is also a cousin of former USC and current San Francisco 49ers defensive back Talanoa Hufanga.[12]