Montana Player Gets 9th Year After Injury-Filled Journey

Solomon Tuliaupupu is getting something almost no college athlete ever receives: a ninth year to play the sport he loves.

The Montana linebacker's journey reads like a testament to patience and determination. Starting at USC in 2018, he spent most of his college career watching from the sidelines after foot surgery sidelined him his freshman year and knee surgery knocked him out for 2020.

His first real taste of action came in 2022 as a redshirt senior, when he finally played a full season for USC. That breakthrough felt like victory after years of rehab and waiting.

But more obstacles appeared. An injury wiped out his entire 2023 season. Then in 2024, illness cut short his campaign after just seven games, ending his USC career on another disappointing note.

Tuliaupupu transferred to Montana in 2025, finding a fresh start with the Grizzlies. Last season marked just his third with actual game action and only his second complete season in eight years of eligibility.

Why This Inspires

Most athletes would have walked away after the second or third setback. Tuliaupupu kept showing up, kept rehabbing, kept believing his moment would come.

The NCAA rarely grants ninth years of eligibility, making this approval a recognition of extraordinary circumstances. Medical hardships and the illness that ended his 2024 season convinced officials he deserved one more chance.

Now 26 and with more life experience than most college players, Tuliaupupu brings leadership that goes beyond stats. His teammates see someone who refused to let injuries define his story.

He'll play under new Montana coach Bobby Kennedy this fall, another fresh chapter in a career defined by second chances. The Grizzlies are getting more than a linebacker. They're getting proof that persistence pays off.

After eight years of setbacks, Solomon Tuliaupupu finally gets to write the ending he always dreamed about.