Montana football linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu doesn’t need to create a LinkedIn account quite yet.
Tuliaupupu was granted a ninth season of eligibility by the NCAA on Monday, Feb. 9, Montana announced via social media. The former USC defender started his career in 2018.
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He’s believed to be the longest-tenured player in college football history, tied with former Oregon and Miami tight end Cam McCormick, who completed his ninth season of eligibility after the 2024 season.
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Tuliaupupu suffered season-ending injuries in both 2018, 2020 and 2023 at USC. The 2025 season was his first at Montana and third overall with game action, and he finished the campaign with 43 total tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles.
He recorded 10 total tackles with 2.5 sacks as a redshirt senior at USC in 2022, his first season of game action. He then missed the 2023 season before registering 13 total tackles and a sack in seven games of the 2024 season, which ended prematurely due to illness.
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The Santa Ana, California, product was a high-end recruit in the 2017 high school class, tabbed as the No. 86 player nationally and No. 3 inside linebacker, according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings. He was on USC’s roster for four seasons under former coach Clay Helton, who was fired midway through the 2021 season.
Tuliaupupu comes from the same recruiting class as NFL stars like Trevor Lawrence, Micah Parsons and Patrick Surtain Jr., who are all reaching veteran status as pros. He was even teammates with All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in high school.
Tuliaupupu has taken advantage of his time in college. He received his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 2022, before earning his master’s degree in project management.
One more season awaits the college football veteran at one of the top FCS programs in the country.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NCAA grants Montana’s Solomon Tuliaupupu ninth season of eligibility
