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Former USC DL Solomon Tuliaupupu signs with Montana out of transfer portal

FaceProfileby:Thomas Goldkamp•03/27/25
USC Trojans defensive end Solomon Tuliaupupu (58) during a college football game between the Rice Owls and the USC Trojans on September 03, 2022, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Ima
USC Trojans defensive end Solomon Tuliaupupu (58) during a college football game between the Rice Owls and the USC Trojans (Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Former USC defensive lineman Solomon Tuliaupupu has signed with Montana out of the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. He entered the portal on Feb. 13.

Tuliaupupu is one of the longest-tenured players in college football. He began in 2018, spending the last seven years with the Trojans before looking for a new home via the transfer portal. Tuliaupupu has had multiple seasons ruined by injury. The latest was in 2023 when he suffered a season-ending injury in training camp.

Despite being around for seven seasons, Tuliaupupu’s contributions have been limited to just two years’ worth of action. He played in both 2022 (14 games) and 2024 (eight games). In 2022, Tuliaupupu emerged with 10 tackles, 3.0 tackles for a loss and 2.5 sacks. You could start to see the potential he might have as an edge rusher up front. Then came the devastating 2023 injury.

However, Tuliaupupu got back on the field last fall and recorded 13 tackles, 1.0 tackles for a loss, 1.0 sacks and a fumble recovery. He played in eight games during the season, not quite getting a full run throughout the year. Now he’ll get a chance to prove himself at a lower level. As one of the oldest players in college football.

Tuliaupupu, a Santa Ana native, played high school football at Mater Dei. He was the No. 93 overall prospect there as a four-star prospect in the 2018 cycle. That’s according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

He also rated as the No. 10 linebacker and player out of California in that class. That made him the eighth highest-rated player in that class for USC which finished at No. 4 in On3’s Industry Team Recruiting Rankings under Clay Helton.

On3’s Sam Gillenwater also contribute to this report.