Why is he playing 9th year of college football? The answer is more painful than you think

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Just as Bobby Kennedy arrived as a Stanford assistant in 2018, he knew of a highly touted recruit out of vaunted Southern California powerhouse Mater Dei: Solomon Tuliaupupu.

As a receivers coach, Kennedy didn’t think much of the linebacker, other than knowing he played a role in the Monarchs’ undefeated national championship season in 2017. The coach spent four seasons at Stanford, took a year off coaching and spent a season at Rice in 2024. He arrived at Montana last season, and was promoted for the 2026 campaign.

And in his first season as a head coach, who will he have on his team? Well, none other than that SoCal recruit all those years ago.

In an era of college sports where it seems like player eligibility is unlimited, no one may exemplify it like Tuliaupupu, who enters his ninth — yes, ninth — season of college football. 

To casual football fans, it’s a preposterous headline. There were plenty of people up in arms when he received his ninth season of eligibility in February. Why would someone in the same recruiting class as Trevor Lawrence, Micah Parsons, Ja’Marr Chase and graduate high school with Amon-Ra St. Brown still be playing college football in 2026?

It sounds ridiculous, yet it’s anything but to the 26-year-old. 

“I totally understand how some people could be frustrated about just hearing my story, without having all the context and clues,” Tuliaupupu told USA TODAY Sports.

To Tuliaupupu, a ninth season represents overcoming a long, painful road, one that nearly made him walk away from the game he loves multiple times. Did he want it to go like this? No, but he doesn’t regret any part of the journey.

“It's a special story,” Kennedy said.

Tuliaupupu had his future mapped out perfectly in high school. He was going to play college ball for three seasons and make it to the NFL. He had the tools to do so as the No. 54 overall recruit in the 2018 class, and the 2017 USA TODAY All-USA National Defensive Player of the Year.

However, that plan got off course before high school finished.

After no injury history, he twisted his left ankle in fall camp of his senior year, and did it again during the season. Painful, but still powering through as he tried to finish the season.

Then came the playoff semifinal against Mission Viejo, when he suffered a left Lisfranc tear. He wanted to play on it, but recalled doctors telling him doing so would “do irreversible damage to your whole foot.”

He had Lisfranc reconstructive surgery, and in January, lived the dream of committing to USC. The start to that, though, was disrupted. 

There were risks of the surgery not being entirely successful, and it ended up not working. His first summer at USC was spent doing rehab, and he eventually got put in an immobile cast that meant sitting out all of his first year.

Tuliaupupu was on the field in spring of 2019 when he had another Lisfranc tear. This one wasn’t as severe, but he was again told surgery was needed or he faced the same possible consequences. A fusion was done so he wouldn’t have to worry about tearing it again, but this meant another boot, another instance of limited mobility. 

“If you add that together, it's like over a year of not using your foot,” he said. 

Two seasons down the drain, but there was optimism in 2020. He was ready for spring ball — until COVID-19 lockdowns halted that.

Given how turbulent the Pac-12’s football plans were that year, USC didn’t start fall practice until October. Tuliaupupu was feeling strong going into it, and in the first week, he was doing a drill where he planted his foot, and he didn’t feel his left foot give out.

Instead, it was his left knee. He tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A third straight season not playing.

“At that point I'm like, ‘Alright, what the heck is happening with my body?’” Tuliaupupu said. “I don't know what's going on.”

It was 2021 when Tuliaupupu was finally ready to play, and awaited a debut against Stanford, expecting to be on the special teams unit. That didn’t happen, and just his luck, it wasn’t long before his left knee started to feel funny again.

He met with medical professionals, and they advised him to focus on recovery to figure out what’s going on. The plan of three years and the NFL turned into four years and injured for it all.

That season was when Clay Helton was fired from USC, and in November, Lincoln Riley came in to lead the Trojans. He and his incoming staff did player evaluations on the roster, and Tuliaupupu’s history was hard to ignore.

He was cut. 

“I kept calling them,” he said. “I was like, ‘Hey, please, just give me a shot. Just give me a shot. I feel like I haven't even got a shot in my college career yet, man.’”

After persisting, Tuliaupupu was given a spring tryout. He proved he belonged, earning his spot on the roster. He was again ready to go for the season, and this time, he actually did it. 

Switching to the defensive line, Tuliaupupu appeared in all 14 games for the Trojans en route to a Cotton Bowl appearance. Not even a torn biceps late in the season stopped him.

The momentum of the first full season carried Tuliaupupu into earning a starting spot going into the fall camp of 2023. He was eager for an expanded role, but during a preseason practice, he planted his foot, and again, felt something wrong.

It was his right knee. He tore the other ACL. Another season gone before it begins.

Even with all the pain before, this one was different. In five years, injuries derailed four of them. Family and friends were constantly asking if he was sure he still wanted to play. He’d treat them like they were crazy, telling them of course he still wants to be on field. He’d puff his chest out and let everyone know he was built for this.

But inside, Tuliaupupu was struggling. He did wonder if football was really meant for him.

“I don't know if this is for me,” he recalled. “There's nights I just stay up and cry, and I go lift some weights to feel better. Then I’d want to feel sad again, start crying again, and just go lift some more weights.”

Support from family didn't waver, specifically, from his wife, Olivia. She was in his corner every time doubt crept in. They also were expecting their first child.

The 2024 season arrived and Tuliaupupu was good, not missing a beat from the jump. However, the day after USC played Nebraska, he got sick — and it got pretty bad.

He had Influenza A, resulting in high fevers and losing 20 pounds in a quick span. Any time he tried doing any physical work, he was throwing up, and he missed the rest of the season. It was worse trying to help care for his newborn baby. 

“That sickness really scared me,” Tuliaupupu said. “I never felt that sick before. I thought I was gonna die. I was mad.”

By the time he recovered, Tuliaupupu walked into Riley’s office and told him it was time to retire. He thanked him for letting him continue his dream of being a Trojan, but he didn’t think he had anything left in him. Not only did he retire, he was actually hunting for a job to support his family.

However, a few months later Tuliaupupu realized he had an extra year of eligibility. After the NCAA confirmed it, he sat down with Olivia and decided to enter the transfer portal, seeing if anyone would offer.

The initial process was rough. A true linebacker that turned into a defensive end, he wanted to go back to his old position, but schools were only offering him at the edge. Each time he expressed that to potential suitors, talks fell through.

There weren’t any leads until Montana, who coaches told him he could play linebacker. That’s all it took for him to move from Southern California to Missoula.

In his first year with the Grizzlies, Tuliaupupu had his best season with 43 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles, earning second team All-Big Sky. He played in 14 of Montana's 15 games on its way to a FCS semifinal appearance, only missing one game to help care for his wife after her dad died, something he had no hesitation doing.

That wouldn’t be the end of it. Around the 2025 postseason, Tuliaupupu said Montana staff members said they could maybe get him ninth year. He didn’t even realize it was possible.

“I (expletive) you not, I was like tearing up,” he said. “I was like, dude, I've been looking for jobs and like I was getting a lot of interest from jobs. If you guys can give me another year, I will play. I'll play however many extra years you guys get me.”

A few weeks went by without an update, resulting in Tuliaupupu getting ready for the job market again. In February, after longtime coach Bobby Hauck announced his retirement, he got the good news: He was granted a ninth season. 

There was jubilation in Missoula. 

“I was the happiest guy in America,” Kennedy said.

Then came the announcement of it.

“Everyone in the whole freaking country is like roasting my ass,” Tuliaupupu said.

Just about everyone at Montana understands it may be silly for Tuliaupupu to play a ninth season. He does hear it from his teammates, referring to him as “unc” and calling just about everyone “youngblood.” Defensive coordinator Eric Sanders admitted there’s some staff members that graduated high school around the same time as Tuliaupupu, and they had a PowerPoint presentation where they went through all of the fashion stages he went through in his college career.

It’s all in fun, but that’s not how everyone sees it. Tuliaupupu has gotten his fair share of trolls and unpleasant comments, telling him to get a job or it’s ridiculous to still be playing. It used to really bother him, but now some of it does humor him. It actually fires him up.

“Sometimes it's kind of like it's fuel for me to do good this next year and be like, alright, you guys want to talk on that smack? Alright, I'm gonna show you then,” he said. “It's funny, but at the same time, it's like, alright, cool. I got some ammo.”

Besides, it’s not like he’s been playing all of the first eight years. In the 98 games in those eight seasons, he’s played in just 38 contests. 

Missing basically five seasons of action is more than enough reason to stop playing. But Tuliaupupu didn’t, and that should be viewed as inspiration.

“It takes a guy with great fortitude and belief in himself that they can come through on the other end. That's what I see with Solo,” Kennedy said. “We only get so long to play this game, and if he's having a good experience at the University of Montana, then heck, I would say this: I want him around as long as we can keep him. Hey, let's get him an 11th or 12th year.”

Double-digit years may be pushing it, and don’t worry. Tuliaupupu is pretty sure this is the final year — and he’s excited. 

Coaches describe him as a true leader on a team under a new coaching staff. Sanders said he was the first player he talked to when he was hired to pick his brain. He added Tuliaupupu has been a vocal leader, able to distinguish what it takes for his teammates to succeed.

“He's a father to young kids and so he's got a little bit of an ability to be a goofball too and he just has a good personality,” Sanders said. “Obviously have the maturity that is required to be a father and be responsible for other people, but he also can be a goof and make jokes, and that enables him to connect with his teammates.”

While a strong final year is what Tuliaupupu wants, it’s not his ultimate goal in 2026. Really, he wants to inspire his teammates and people that learn just an ounce of his journey.

“Instead of just fuel for anger, what I do hope (people) get is some inspiration of not giving up. Even when your hardest year of life comes, even when you feel like everything's falling in on you and there's nowhere else to go, just get up, dust yourself off, and just keep going,” he said. “The only way to live it is to keep going.”

So yes, Tuliaupupu will play a ninth season of college football. The path was nothing he envisioned, but he didn’t quit. He entered college as a highly touted prospect and will leave full of battle scars he proudly shows off. With his wife and two kids — with one more on the way — beside him, Tuliaupupu is standing tall, ready to end his college career strong.

It’s been a long and painful road, but he is grateful for every bump he endured, and persevering to finish out his dream the right way.

“It's nowhere near been how I planned it when I was coming out of high school. I'm so grateful the way the Lord has worked in my life and kind of just painted this awesome picture that I never saw coming,” he said. “I wouldn't write it any other way.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why is he playing 9th year of college football? The answer is more painful than you think

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