Even with Stiff Competition, Tuputala Still Has Spot as LB Starter
In this story:
University of Washington football coaches in 2019 obviously saw something they liked in Alphonzo Tuputala to offer him a scholarship.
Yet compared to the other inside linebackers signed in his class, he was fourth out of four when it came to recruiting attention.
Alabama wanted Daniel Heimuli, a 4-star prospect. Michigan State chased after Josh Calvert, another 4-star player. Arizona State and BYU pursued Miki Ah You, the grandson of maybe the greatest player to come out of Hawaii and whose name he carries.
Tuputala, for the most part, had the Huskies and a bunch of smaller schools to pick from.
When the linebackers showed up in Seattle and put their talents up against each other, Tuputala was the one who got on the field first on Saturdays.
This past offseason, the Huskies went out and brought in a pair of veteran linebackers in Pittsburgh's Cam Bright and UAB's Kris Moll, guys who've played a lot.
Two practices into fall camp, Tuputala is still running with the No. 1 Husky defense, the same as he did during spring ball, and so far holding off all challengers using iron will.
"The person I want to be and the player I want to be, I'm chasing that every day," he said. "That's literally what got me here."
Throughout his quest to become a focal part of the UW defensive unit, answering to three different coaching staffs, Tuputala has been sorely tested.
Shortly after Zion Tupuola-Fetui tore an Achilles tendon during 2021 spring practice, Tuputala ripped his in a drill against UW offensive linemen. While his teammate's injury was discussed with reporters ad naseum, Tuputala's situation wasn't revealed at all until he was ready to play again six months later.
Tuputala, a 6-foot-2, 238-pound sophomore from Federal Way, Washington, continues to win a lot of personal battles.
As a true freshman, he appeared in four games while Calvert and Ah You were injured and Heimuli struggled to pick up the technique. None of the others played that season.
These days, Calvert suits up for Utah while Ah You is out of football and back in the islands, and Heimuli runs with the No. 2 UW defense.
As the competition for the current starting linebacker jobs unfolds in August, Tuputala must beat out two of three well-decorated candidates to secure a starting job. There's a certain degree of difficulty involved in doing this.
Bright is in his sixth college season, started 20 games for Pittsburgh and comes off a Peach Bowl outing against Michigan State in which he returned a fumble 26 yards for a touchdown.
Moll, a two-time All-Conference USA selection, was a 21-game regular at his previous stop and is so versatile he can play safety.
Sophomore Carson Bruener returns following a breakthrough 2021 season in which he played in 11 games and opened the final five. In his memorable starting debut, he came up with a season-high 16 tackles against Stanford and was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.
Still, Tuputala practically dares anyone to come in and try to take his position from him. Ask him about this and he smiles, but prefers to take the politically correct road in describing his approach.
"That's funny, dog," Tuputala said. "When I found out guys were coming in, I kept my head on straight and couldn't listen to outside noises. I only listened to the people I care about, my coaches and my family."
He's no doubt listening to his inner resolve, too, which will tells them he belongs and will be hard to unseat.
Go to si.com/college/washington to read the latest Husky FanNation stories as soon as they’re published.
Not all stories are posted on the fan sites.
Find Husky FanNation on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated
Follow Dan Raley of Husky FanNation on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven
