USC’s defense needs to improve in 2023. To that end, getting a couple of key front seven starters back will go a long way.

Starting inside ‘backer Shane Lee confirmed Friday he is returning. And despite a season worthy of selection as a unanimous First Team All-American, defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll enter the 2023 NFL Draft or return for his senior season.

“I’m for sure playing (in the bowl game) no matter what. I can’t leave my brothers out there,” Tuipulotu told reporters on Friday when asked about his future plans. “That’s something I gotta consider (leaving or returning), but just focusing on the game and when the time comes to make the decision, I’ll make the decision.”

The junior defensive lineman led the nation with 12.5 total sacks and finished second with 21 tackles for loss. He was named the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Year for his part in helping the Trojans to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Surely a first-round grade would send Tuipulotu to the NFL, but that doesn’t seem like a given. In Todd McShay’s first mock draft for ESPN, he has the Trojan star outside the first round. He is not a first-rounder in CBS Sports’ or The Ringer’s mock drafts either.

Of course, that could have something to do with the lack of a draft declaration at this point, and it’s also entirely possible Tuipulotu could enter the pool and then work his way into the first round throughout the pre-draft process.

Maybe his teammates help make the decision easier. Tuipulotu and the rest of the Trojan defense could feel they have unfinished business after a likely College Football Playoff run was derailed near the finish line by Utah in the Pac-12 title game. The Trojans gave up 47 points in just their second loss of the season.

That seems to be a motivating factor for Lee, a team captain in his first season with USC.

“We talked before I came here about building something and this is just a continuation of that,” Lee said. “I like what we’re building here. I’m comfortable here, I’m excited for what’s to come and I want to be a part that.”

Lee leads the defense with 75 tackles in 12 games. He added 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions (one of which was returned for a touchdown), and a pass breakup.