Junior defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu is the model of consistency.

That was a big reason why he was voted a captain by his teammates. USC head coach Lincoln Riley announced captains on Tuesday, saying that while other players got votes, the four who were named were the overwhelming picks. When it comes to Tuipulotu, Riley said they’ve been impressed by his ability to show up every single day, every single rep, and handle his business.

“I’ve been proud of him,” Riley said.

One thing that became pretty apparent to Riley early on was that asking Tuipulotu to be the vocal, rah-rah guy of the defense would be asking him to step outside his comfort zone. He’s making his mark with his actions.

“He’s picking his spots,” Riley continued. “He’s kind of the guy on the team — maybe more than anybody — who moves the needle for us as far as a mentality standpoint. I don’t know if we have a more consistent competitor than that guy. He brings it every day. He hasn’t missed one thing, hasn’t missed one spring practice, hasn’t missed one rep of fall camp. He never misses anything. He always shows up and is always ready to compete.

“You can just tell our guys, our whole football team feeds off of him. He’s vitally important and we need him to continue to step up, both as a leader and then also as a player. You watch some of his previous years’ tape, he’s an impressive guy but he can play a lot better. What he’s done on Saturdays up to this point and what he can do, we think there’s a huge gap. I think he’s definitely improved. One of the great lessons for all of our players in our program — our young players (especially) — the reason he’s improved is he brings it every day and he doesn’t miss anything. He never misses practice. He never misses anything. When you do that and you bring a good attitude, you are going to get better. And I think he’s gotten a lot better.”

Sounds like he endeared himself to his new coaching staff pretty well.

The 6-foot-4 junior has 70 career tackles, including 10 for losses (with 7.5 sacks), two forced fumbles, and two pass breakups in 18 career appearances and 15 career starts.

He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection last season and graded out as the third-best defensive lineman in the conference (per PFF). He was also one of only 18 FBS defensive linemen who earned a grade of 79 or better as both a run-stopper and pass-rusher.

USC is hoping for big things from him in 2022. His work this offseason has put him in a position to make good on that promise.