Tuileta commits to USC
sorry for not posting sooner. There are comments on the MPSF thread.
Agree with the comment that it was somewhat tacky that he did a hat switch at the signing. But nothing other players didn’t do this morning elsewhere during NLI Day.
Would have been a nice bonus for volleyball.
This from our Paul Honda earlier Wednesday:
Larry Tuileta was known to drop a bomb on opposing defenses from time to time as an All-State quarterback at Punahou.
He dropped one more this morning, pledging allegiance to USC and stiff-arming Hawaii in a stunning reversal at the PIAA National Letter of Intent day signing ceremony at the Sheraton Waikiki.
Tuileta, the Star-Advertiser offensive player of the year, made an oral committment in April to play football and volleyball for UH. But when USC brought in Steve Sarkisian as its new football coach in December, UH was suddenly up against the former Washington head coach and USC assistant coach.
It all happened within the past two weeks, when Tuileta went to visit the USC and UH campuses. USC had dual appeal to Tuileta, a three-time All-State volleyball player.
“It came down to deciding between two great programs. I discussed it with my parents. It took a very long time. I was up late until this morning, constantly thinking about the decision,” he said. “There’s been a lot of changes (at USC), so he (Sarkisian) gave me an opportunity to get onto the team. He gave me a spot. It’s a chance that I’m going to take.”
There was no interest under previous USC head coach Lane Kiffin.
Tuileta talked with Hawaii coach Norm Chow before making his decision.
“I told him there’s another option,” he said.
I really don’t blame the kid… he has to do what is best for him, and USC is no comparison to UH sorry.
If he is a walk on, did he need to be there to sign a NLI, or was he telling people he was going to sign an NLI with UH so he could be there this morning? Hmmmm
Pepp will go up on UCLA 1-0. Talk of Josh being allam this season..i could foresee it.
Free show on Waves’ WAVECAST.
He didn’t sign ANYTHING. All a fraud. You only sign if your are getting a scholarship. He isn’t. And if he is going to play volleyball, a scholarship would have to be in the sport with the most scholarships to offer – football.
Really disgusting performance. He certainly has the right to change his mind but to dis UH with that act was uncalled for. If my son had done that, he would be woith me behind the woodshed right now.
Showed no character at all. Glad he is gone.
If you’re a walk-on you are barred from signing a NLI. It’s tacky enough to lead people on about which school’s NLI you will sign, but in this case Tuileta had no USC NLI to sign. If he wasn’t going to sign UH’s NLI he had no business being at the event, period.
4. You’re right. he didn’t sign anything. have changed the headline. thanks.
5. agree
What is this world coming to? KHON says before they break for commercial! hear what coach chow has to say about Tuileta. After the commercial, sportscaster says Chow cannot comment on Tuileta because he didn’t sign with UH. WTH? That’s almost as bad as what Tui pulled.
7. that is odd but since the signing period is still going on (today just the first day) Chow cannot speak about a recruit. Which technically Tuileta still is since he didn’t sign an NLI.
7. That was the error of the sportscaster. Because Tui didn’t sign a NLI, he is NOT bound to USC. Although I highly doubt it, he could still go to Hawaii if he chooses too or any college for that matter. That’s why Chow can’t comment because Tui is still a free agent.
Not sure if i heard it right,but on KHON they mentioned that he was signing the paper for financial aid. Correct me if i’m wrong. Sr ears sometime misunderstand.
10. that makes sense.
All of you can just back off … the kid has every right to do what he did. Play the alternative out: He decides not to show up at the NLI event at all after quietly deciding on USC and informing Chow of his decision. You think you and the media wouldn’t be firing out the same claims of tackiness? So Tui shows up at the event, honoring his commitment to do so. Its his choice and his future and you cannot condemn him for it, nor his presence at the NLI event.
#13, it is what it is…. he did a classless thing …people have voiced their dislike for his handling of the situation. He decided how he wanted to handle the situation, he decided to bring in the self focused drama so he will also have to dal with the consequences….
I don’t really care if he chose University of Transylvania, its the having the UH placard and hat then putting on USC that bothers me. That is what I call disrespectful. And when USC comes here to play UH, I will remember that gesture. If that’s his moral values at work, then I feel sorry for him.
Maybe the downside of playing both football and volleyball is that he could incur a serious injury during football season which would incapacitate him during volleyball season. I know that Charlie Wade wanted him badly, but maybe it could turn out to be a blessing in guise. Personally I’d rather see one sport, dedicated volleyball players.
15. i think it’s tough to be a two-sport athlete, regardless of the sports.
always a potential for injury just living life. Agree about dedication to one sport and football is the priority in this case.
#14. Maybe when USC comes here to play everyone should come to the Stan Sheriff/Aloha Stadium wearing a USC hat, then change to a UH hat…
Back in the 80’s there was former Crusader who spurned the UH Rainbows to play WR at BYU. Poor fella got an ear full when he returned to Aloha Stadium. Local fans ragged on him all game long! Tui, guess what, you’ll get the same treatment when you return to the Stanley. Won’t happen at No Aloha Stadium, ya gotta make the travel roster for that to happen! No room on the plane for a 5th string QB!
Wasn’t it also made clear that Tui and a few other highly touted vb recruits committed to UH together. I can’t recall who they were. Are they still coming to play for Wade?
18. you don’t know if Tuileta will be a fifth stringer. And no one knows if he’s going to be playing volleyball in 2015 for sure. He made his choice. Don’t understand the hate.
19. first off, Tuilete was a football-first recruit. He never committed to play volleyball, at UH.
You might be thinking of Evan Enriques, who is headed to Stanford.
Re. #18, referring to Micah Matsuzaki. I attended those games where he was booed, especially when his name was mentioned on the PA after making a reception. It literally broke my heart that he was booed for the supposed crime of accepting a football scholarship from and attending the then-despised BYU. He probably would not have been booed if he went elsewhere, including USC.
I don’t have an issue with Tui deciding to go to USC. It’s his life and his prerogative. I think most people feel the same way. However, the beef is with respect to the manner in which it was done. There was no need to give people the impression that he was signing an NLI to UH, then put on the USC cap after signing whatever he signed to create “look at me” drama. To his credit, though, he did not put down UH when addressing the media afterward like others who decided to go elsewhere before him.
The thing that is ironic is that the QB recruit who UH signed today, 6’5″ Beau Reilly, was also a volleyball player in high school. He played setter and opposite. I don’t think Charlie Wade is doing cartwheels and handstands, though. It’s just coincidental.
22. agree that the issue is more about how it turned out, with the hat switch. not exactly the aloha style.
odd how the different fan base is. Wahine volleyball fans don’t boo a lost recruit. Never heard boos when Stanford came back with a starting lineup of nearly all kids from Hawaii both Shojis, McLachlin, Lawson, etc.
anyway, i’ll get back later. Have to monitor Wahine basketball and do that rewrite.
20. I don’t think people hate the kid I think they hate what the kid did. I think most young men are raised that your word is your bond and when you go back on your word you show your true self. He was committed for what like 10 months and never said a word that he changed his mind until signing day? Bottom line is he had no business being at the PIAA event if he wasn’t going to sign. What he did was totally selfish and a classless act and if he was my kid I would be ashamed. We as UH fans don’t need to hate on a kid if he isn’t a man of his word and changes his mind but we as UH fans should definitely not condone it or let it slide (“he’s just a kid” or “it’s his decision”) when a recruit reneges on his commitment. We should discourage that type of behavior and soundly and loudly call out any recruit that does that….
23. I don’t recall the Shoji’s, McLachlin, Lawson, etc…committing to UH then pulling a fast one at a signing event….that’s the difference…..
26. true. but if you read some of the other comments, the boos are being promised and there were other nastier comments that were deleted.
It was an oral commit. It wasn’t binding. He also told Chow that he was considering USC and it was pretty well-known that he took that visit. SC came in late and it was a better offer. The former SC coach wasn’t interested in Tui, the new one was. That’s the difference between 10 months ago and now.
Not condoning anything. As I said, a very un-Hawaii way to do things.
If I’m not mistaken, he was a PIAA client and therefore was there to make his announcement as to where he was going.
27. Cindy not trying to argue with you but I’ve seen other defenders of Tui making that comment that it was an oral commitment therefore not binding. I still stand by what I said earlier that a man is only as good as his word. Some of the other commits received offers from other schools AFTER they committed to UH and they did the right thing: honor their commitment…..
no worries. debate is always good.
agree about being as good as your word.
in the end, it was his and his family’s choice for what they thought was best.
the hat switch was so SEC.
Let me get this straight – was he never going to play VB or was it that his scholarship was going to be with FB and he would just play VB?
30. He would have been on a football scholarship. He was hoping to play volleyball as well but would do that as a walk-on. Same situation as USC.
#29, I have no problem with him changing schools, it was the hat switch that was immature … it was a “look at me” way of handling the situation ….