Montana LB Solomon Tuliaupupu Granted Ninth Year, Will Return 2026

The NCAA has granted Solomon Tuliaupupu a rare ninth year of collegiate eligibility, clearing the way for the Montana linebacker to return for the 2026 season. The school announced Tuliaupupu's return on social media Monday alongside sixth-year offensive lineman Dylan Jemtegaard. Tuliaupupu, who turns 26 in March, is entering his second season at Montana after starting his collegiate career at USC in 2018.

Tuliaupupu’s case is the culmination of an eight-year arc marked by repeated setbacks and a late-career resurgence. He initially signed with USC in 2018 but suffered a foot injury that year requiring surgery and a knee injury in 2020 that also required surgery. Another knee injury in 2023 cost him that entire season, and illness shortened his 2024 campaign at USC. CBS summed the interruptions bluntly: “Tuliaupupu has missed five seasons due to injury during his extensive career.” The prolonged absences factored into the NCAA decision; “That means Tuliaupupu has only been on the field for three seasons in an eight-year span, which was likely the argument used when granting him one more year of eligibility.”

When healthy, Tuliaupupu has shown impact. His 2025 season after transferring to Montana produced 43 tackles in 14 games, along with two sacks, two passes defended and two forced fumbles, numbers that helped the Grizzlies to a deep postseason run that ended in the FCS semifinals against Montana State. Those production figures represent a decisive turnaround from the long stretch of limited availability and are central to the appeal of keeping him in Missoula for another season.

Some statistical details from his USC tenure vary across records. He recorded 10 tackles in 2022 while appearing in all 14 games; descriptions differ on whether that season included 2.5 sacks or three tackles for loss and a quarterback hurry. Reports also diverge on whether illness limited him to seven games in 2024, or nine. Those discrepancies reflect the messy nature of a career disrupted by injury and illness.

Tuliaupupu will arrive for 2026 as a veteran presence under new Montana head coach Bobby Kennedy, who takes over a program built by Bobby Hauck. Kennedy inherits a Grizzlies defense reinforced by Tuliaupupu’s return and the continuity signaled by the paired announcement with Jemtegaard. For Montana fans, keeping a 43-tackle performer and proven playmaker in the linebacker room eases pressure on an offseason of transition and raises expectations for a defense that will welcome both leadership and on-field production.

What comes next is straightforward: Tuliaupupu will be available to suit up for the Griz in 2026, giving Montana an experienced interior linebacker as the program enters a new coaching era and attempts to return to the playoff stage.