Spotlight: The Freshman Football Experience

By Maddie W. ‘20 

Photo courtsey of CollegeFootballNews.com

Football season is a staple of the USC experience, and nothing beats going through it for the first time as a freshman.  Most first year students spend the fall semester assembling the perfect game-day outfit, bouncing between fraternity tailgates, and navigating an overcrowded campus on their way to the coliseum, but for a select group of freshmen, game-days don’t involve any barbecues on the row or a crammed student section. No, for the freshmen football players,  game-days are all about lining up with their “brothers” and watching their hard work pay off.

I had the opportunity to sit down with red-shirt defensive linemen Jay Tufele and Marlon Tuipulotu who told me all about their first year being a part of the  team, and how the football team takes the phrase “Trojan Family” to a whole new level. 

What was it like running out of the tunnel for the first time?

JT: It was a great experience. It’s a legendary place and to be able to run out into the coliseum with all my brothers and the great atmosphere…it’s crazy.

MT: Yeah, running through the tunnel for the first time was crazy. I had goosebumps. It was my first game as a Trojan and as a college player so it was really exciting. Definitely something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

What is the dynamic like between the younger players and the upperclassmen?

MT: “Everyone will mess with each other but there’s no hazing. Everybody takes care of each other, they look after us, especially during workouts and practice…if they see us doing something wrong they’ll be there to coach us up, so that’s pretty cool.

JT: Yeah, like Marlon said, it’s more of a brotherly relationship. We play around but they look out for us.

What is the time commitment like during the season vs offseason?

JT: Coming in during the summer was really fast tempo. They were trying to get us into  game situations compared to everyone who had been there for spring ball. We got used to the speed but that was probably the hardest thing for me to get used to. Now that I have a year under my belt, I feel more situated and I know what I’m doing better than when I first started.

MT: My situation was a little different. I came in the spring of last year, and it was busy but not like fall camp. Fall camp is football the whole, every day, so it was a little hard to adjust at first but you get used to it.

What part of your experience so far has been the most challenging?

JT: Getting used to all the workouts and team runs that we do was challenging, but you have the brotherhood, the older brothers are there pushing to keep up with them.

MT: Exactly what Jay said. At first it’s hard picking up everything because they just put you in there, but like Jay said, the older guys are there to help us out and prepare us with the coaches.

What has been the highlight of your experience so far?

JT: Probably just travelling with the team and watching the games up close, taking mental reps knowing that this year I’ll be able to be on the field and do some of the same things.

MT: I would say practicing for the first time because I was still basically a high schooler so everything was new to me. I was overwhelmed and everything but I slowly got used to things.

Thanks to Marlon & Jay for sharing their experience – can’t wait to see what they bring to the field this upcoming season! 

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