USC defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu declares for 2023 NFL Draft

USC‘s close loss to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl will be defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu last game as a Trojan. Tuipulotu has announced he will declare for 2023 NFL Draft from his social media account.

Tuipulotu earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named Polynesian College Football Player of the Year. He is No. 3 in the nation in sacks per game. And he is No. 6 nationally in tackles for loss per game.

His 12.5 sacks are the most in a single season for a Trojan since Kenechi Udeze’s 16.5 during the 2003 season.

Tuipulotu was also a finalist for virtually every national award for which he was eligible. That includes the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Nagurski Trophy, Lott IMPACT Trophy and Hendricks Award.

More on the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is set to take place from Thursday, April 27 through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event will be held at the plaza just outside of Union Station.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft will be broadcasted throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.

To be eligible for the NFL Draft, players must be at least three years removed from their final year of high school while having used up their collegiate eligibility. Underclassmen are able to request league approval to become eligible for the draft, as are players who have graduated prior to using up all of their collegiate eligibility. 100 underclassmen were approved for last year’s draft. 73 of those 100 underclassmen were granted special eligibility while 27 of them were underclassmen who had completed their college degrees.

The 2023 NFL scouting combine will take place from Feb. 28 through March 6 in Indianapolis.