Bio

CAREER: In his 3-year career at Utah and USC, he has a combined 89 tackles, including 9 for losses (with 2.5 sacks), 3 deflections and 4 fumble recoveries.  Of that, 36 tackles (7 for losses, with 0.5 sack), 2 deflections and 4 fumble recoveries came at Utah.

SENIOR (2016): Tu’ikolovatu, who transferred to USC in the fall of 2016 after receiving his bachelor’s degree from Utah (allowing him to be eligible to play in 2016), started at defensive tackle as a senior in 2016.  Overall in 2016 while appearing in all 13 games and starting 12 times (all but Arizona), he had 53 tackles, including 2 for losses of 9 yards (with 0.5 sack for minus 6 yards), and 1 deflection.  He made the 2016 All-Pac-12 second team and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 second team.  He won USC’s 2016 Defensive Lineman of the Year Award.  He made the 2016 ESPN Pac-12 All-Bowl Team first team.  He was invited to the 2017 Senior Bowl.  He was awarded a scholarship at USC by virtue of an NCAA rule known as “blueshirting” (it allows a non-recruited student-athlete to receive athletic financial aid after beginning practice and have that student-athlete count towards the next year’s signing class if the school has reached its NCAA-maximum aid limit for the current year). He had 2 tackles against against Alabama, 3 tackles against Utah State, 4 tackles at Stanford, 9 tackles (0.5 for loss) at Utah where he previously played, 2 tackles and a deflection against Arizona State, 3 tackles against Colorado and at Arizona, 6 tackles (0.5 for loss) against California, 4 tackles (0.5 for loss) versus Oregon, 2 tackles at Washington and UCLA and 5 tackles (0.5 sack) against Notre Dame.  He had a team-best 8 tackles against Penn State to earn Rose Bowl Defensive Player of the Game.

JUNIOR (2015 - UTAH): As a junior defensive lineman at Utah in 2015 while appearing in all 13 games (starting twice), he had 28 tackles, with 6 for losses of 19 yards (including 2 sacks for minus 14 yards), plus a Pac-12-leading 4 fumble recoveries (tied for second nationally), including a 37-yard TD return, and 2 deflections (he had 4 tackles with a sack against USC).

SOPHOMORE (2014 - UTAH): He had 8 tackles (1 for a loss of 1 yard) while appearing in 12 games.

REDSHIRT (2013 - UTAH): Redshirted (with foot injury) He went on a Mormon mission to the Philippines during the 2010-12 seasons after redshirting in 2009 at Utah as a first-year freshman.

HIGH SCHOOL: He was a 2-way lineman as a 2008 senior at East High in Salt Lake City (Utah). He also was on East’s track team.

PERSONAL: He received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Utah in 2016 (making him eligible to play at USC in 2016). His uncle is former Utah (2001-04) defensive lineman Sione Pouha, who played with the New York Jets (2005-12) and was a student assistant coach at Utah in 2015. He is married and his wife is from Southern California. His last name is pronounced TOO-ee-koe-loe-VAH-too.