Notre Dame made a big move with Rivals100 inside linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu during his official visit this weekend.
Tuliaupupu, a Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei product, had always talked about visiting Notre Dame, but it wasn’t exactly clear how involved the Irish were in his recruitment prior to the trip.
However, coming out of the trip, it’s clear that Notre Dame will be a player for the four-star going forward.
According to Tuliaupupu’s father, Turnbull Tuliaupupu, taking the visit to Notre Dame was important to him and his son.
“It was important to go out there and see that,” Tuliaupupu said. “It was about building that relationship, and it was more important than anything to get out there. They’re actually one of the schools he’ll be considering really close.”
Hearing about Notre Dame, Tuliaupupu said, is one thing, but actually being on campus is a whole different animal.
“They made a big impression on him,” Tuliaupupu said. “They emphasized the fact that it was good that we came out and actually got to experience it. A lot of times people say they know Notre Dame, but it’s only second hand, but to go there and actually experience it is indescribable.”
During the trip, Tuliaupupu met with linebackers coach Clark Lea and defensive coordinator Mike Elko to talk about where he’d fit in the Irish defense, which his father said was the huge part of the trip.
"I know one of the highlights of his visit was being able to see the scheme that they’re running,” Tuliaupupu said. “And to hear how much Notre Dame has evolved since the changeover with the guys that are there.”
Of course, the biggest highlight of the trip was getting to be inside Notre Dame Stadium for the Irish’s huge win over USC.
USC is one the schools that are heavily involved with Tuliaupupu, so most would assume Notre Dame blowing the Trojans out would stick out.
However, the elder Tuliaupupu said Notre Dame could have been playing anyone and they still would have been impressive.
“I don’t think it was so much about how they dominated, it was just the type of play,” Tuliaupupu said. “That was pretty impressive. They play a smash mouth type of football, have a good defense and the offense is really good.”
The play from the team was impressive to be sure, but Tuliaupupu said what really caught his son’s eye was the energy from the Irish fans.
“We were more in tune with the environment, the crazy crowd and all that,” Tuliaupupu said. “It’s an experience. There’s so much tradition. Just to see all of that was pretty cool.”
