As the USC football spring game arrives, one player who won’t be on the field for the Trojans is Tuli Tuipulotu, who is preparing for the NFL draft and his professional career. Yet, Tuipulotu will be a constant point of focus for USC fans and coaches, all because they know that the 2023 defensive line has to not only replace Tuli’s production, but develop a defensive line with more playmakers compared to last year, when Tuipulotu was the only man the Trojans could always count on.
Tuipulotu was the one pillar of last year’s defensive line. It is scary to contemplate how bad USC’s already-weak defense would have been if No. 49 wasn’t on the field. Tuipulotu was often by himself on that defensive front. Yes, teammates did occasionally make important plays — Tyrone Taleni and Solomon Byrd managed to make some noticeable contributions here and there — but in terms of regular, weekly production, it was mostly a one-man band.
The 2023 USC defensive line does need to replace Tuipulotu’s production, but it’s more than that: This year’s D-line has to have three or four guys who regularly make plays. It can’t be a one-man show. Anthony Lucas is the player who is most likely to replace Tuipulotu directly as a producer and playmaker, but the bigger story (and need) is for the Trojans to have a full line stuffed with high-impact performers. That’s the real key, and that’s what we need to see on Saturday in the Coliseum.
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