The Inland Valley’s top junior football prospect won’t be suiting up for a local team next season.
Solomon Tuliaupupu, of Claremont High School, at the Daily Bulletin in Rancho Cucamonga, CA., Wednesday, December 14, 2016. (Staff photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
Linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu has left Claremont High School and will start school at Mater Dei On Tuesday, he said by phone tonight.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder was a first-team All-Inland Valley selection last year. He recorded 126 tackles, 18 of those for a loss. He also had two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and a blocked field goal. He was named most valuable player in the Palomares League despite playing for a team that finished 3-7 overall.
Tuliaupupu is the third-ranked linebacker in the country, already drawing 25 offers from NCAA Division I schools. Among those are UCLA, USC, Michigan Nebraska and Notre Dame.
“My dad and I talked about it and we think this is the best to prepare for college and the future,” he said. “It wasn’t really one thing. Ultimately we thought this was the best move for me.”
Claremont’s football program is some disarray right now. Coach Coco Jarin was fired after the season was over and no successor has been named. There is no one handling football recruiting and none of the Claremont players competed in all-star games.
