“I was just, knowing how late I came, I just didn't know what to expect,” he continued. “But I just told myself, 'Just learn from everybody, keep your head down and the talking part will come.' But I think for me, it was just I gotta keep my head down and just work.”
“I think it's just trusting God, trusting the people around you and also earning trust,” Tuimoloau said when asked how he got on the field so quickly. “Just proving it in practice to show them that, if they do put you out there, they can trust you on the field, because it's a different ballgame. And when one person doesn't know what they're doing, especially at a young age, it shows. And I think just with the older dudes and coach (Larry Johnson) and every single coach in this facility, they helped me get better and they also trusted me.”
“For me, I felt like I had a decent season,” Tuimoloau said. “I got here three and a half months ago and just taking everything in from older guys. And with the season I had, I give my props to coach J and the whole defensive staff for trusting me because I know how late I got there. I had to take in the whole defensive schemes. And that was my brothers on the defensive line unit and also on the offensive line, just like getting me prepared and helping me through practice and through fall camp and everything like that.”
“I feel like the next step for me is just keep doing what I'm doing but take it up one more notch,” he said. “Still keep my head down, be humble, keep God close and continue to be the better version of myself.
“I feel like next year, I just got to keep progressing more and just keep learning and expanding my knowledge around the game.”