EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Tuli Tuipulotu leads the Los Angeles Chargers with 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss.
Those are not the only areas where Tuipulotu is guiding the Chargers, with their emerging star outside linebacker becoming more comfortable expressing himself in his third season.
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said Tuipulotu spoke to the defense prior to their 31-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, stressing the need to come out with the right mindset following an ugly loss in Jacksonville on Nov. 16 before their bye week.
Tuipulotu then led the way with two sacks and four tackles for loss as the Chargers (8-4) allowed a season-low 156 total yards.
“And when you speak that, and then you go out and play the way he played, that’s pretty cool, and that earns yourself a lot of respect, which he already has,” Minter said.
Tuipulotu played his first NFL game seven days after his 21st birthday in 2023, but he joined a position group that already had premier players in Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Tuipulotu deferred to the veterans and wouldn’t even refer to them by their first names as a rookie.
“His mind was churning, but the words weren’t coming out yet,” Mack said.
Tuipulotu was content to focus on learning from the two proven edge defenders. That approach had already helped set up the Lawndale, California, native for success in high school and again in college at Southern California.
His older brother, Marlon Tuipulotu, was a standout defensive tackle for the Trojans. Cousin Talanoa Hufanga was an All-America safety at USC and the Pac-12 defensive player of the year in 2020. Following their examples gave Tuli Tuipulotu an understanding of everything it took to excel, and he joined Hufanga as the Pac-12’s top defender in 2022 and was a unanimous All-American that season.
Drafted in the second round by the Chargers with the 54th overall pick in April 2023, Tuipulotu already had an understanding of what was coming. Marlon had two years of NFL experience with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chargers’ opponent on Monday night. Hufanga had just earned All-Pro honors in his second year in San Francisco.
Coincidentally, both are now playing in the AFC West for the Chargers’ divisional foes, as Marlon is with Kansas City and Hufanga in Denver.
“They just paved the way,” Tuli Tuipulotu said. “They made things a lot easier for me, just because I know what the process is. I knew what the process was going into college because of them. I know the process was going into the NFL because of them.”
Tuipulotu has been able to take the processes and experiences of family and teammates, including Mack and Bosa, to adapt and elevate in his own ways.
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh raves about Tuipulotu’s fitness regiment. Offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer was caught by surprise when he recently came in for a treatment session and saw Tuipulotu already out on the field in cleats at 6 a.m. Minter praised the detailed notes Tuipulotu takes and the questions he asks in meetings.
“It’s a process to be a good player,” Minter said. “And that word gets thrown around a lot, but for Tuli, it’s truly like everything he does leads to how he plays on game day.”
The carryover has been particularly evident of late as Tuipulotu has had five sacks and nine tackles for loss in his past five games. He has helped the Chargers navigate the departure of Bosa, who was cut in the offseason for salary cap reasons, both coming off the edge in base personnel and lining up inside in specialty packages.
Salyer, who has played guard and tackle for the Chargers, said Tuipulotu’s mix of physical tools and approach to the position exacerbates the mismatch between a natural pass rusher and interior offensive linemen that already exists in obvious throwing situations.
“I mean, Tuli is a player that really takes advantage of bad technique,” Salyer said. “He’s a lot stronger than he looks, and he just plays really hard. He plays the game harder than most guys really do, so if you take a play off, he’s gonna take advantage of that. If you take a bad set, he’s gonna take advantage of that.”
Minter sees the expanded versatility of Tuipulotu’s pass rush identity as another indicator of him reaching a new level.
“And when you’re like a dominant player, and you play with the physicality that he plays with, and the relentless motor that he plays with, it’s almost like, ‘Hey, put me wherever. Try and get me a one-on-one, and I can win.’ And I think he’s got that mindset, which is awesome to have,” Minter said.
Putting all those things together, Tuipulotu has already surged past his previous career highs of 8 1/2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2024 with five games remaining. The Chargers won’t put any limits on what he can accomplish this season or going forward.
“I always say the sky’s the limit for Tuli, man,” Mack said. “I’m not expecting him to just stop at 10, and I’ll just leave it at that.”
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Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu reacts after a sack during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
The College Football Playoff rankings are here.
Follow live updates from The Associated Press on the playoff bracket, with analysis and Top 25 voter answers to fan questions, all in one place.
Here's the latest:
By MAURA CAREY
Oregon (5), Ole Miss (6), Texas A&M (7) and Oklahoma (8) will each be playing at home after earning spots 5-8 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Texas A&M will host No. 10 Miami. Oklahoma will welcome No. 9 Alabama for a rematch. Ole Miss takes American Conference-winner Tulane (11). Lastly, No. 12 James Madison, fresh off a Sun Belt championship win, will head to Eugene to take on No. 5 Oregon.
As expected, the Hoosiers earned the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye after beating Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game on Saturday.
Despite the loss, the committee opted to rank Ohio State No. 2 ahead of SEC champion Georgia. The Bulldogs earned their second straight first-round bye and top four ranking in the CFP bracket, coming in at No. 3.
Texas Tech rounded out the top four after beating BYU on Saturday. All four teams get the luxury of having the first round off and will resume game action in the quarterfinals.
By ERIC OLSON
Alabama would be on the outside looking if the College Football Playoff selection committee’s final rankings echo the new AP Top 25 poll. So would BYU, Vanderbilt and Texas.
And for the first time, there would be two Group of Five schools in the playoff, with James Madison joining Tulane on the bracket.
Here’s how the CFP bracket would look if it were based on the AP poll:
— No. 9 seed Notre Dame at No. 8 seed Oklahoma. Winner vs. No. 1 Indiana.
— No. 12 seed James Madison at No. 5 Oregon. Winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech.
— No. 10 seed Miami at No. 7 Texas A&M. Winner vs. No. 2 Georgia.
— No. 11 seed Tulane at No. 6 Mississippi. Winner vs. No. 3 Ohio State.
The Associated Press Top 25 is out, with Indiana taking the No. 1 spot for the first time in program history. Now what will the final College Football Playoff rankings look like? We’ll find out at noon Eastern.
The order of teams in the AP poll and CFP rankings have been similar since the playoff selection committee started putting out its top 25 in November.
Indiana, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas Tech are the top four teams in the new AP poll. They were also the top four in last week’s CFP rankings and it’s a good bet the bracket will award those teams top-four seeds and first-round byes. It’s possible the committee would put Ohio State second and Georgia third based on the narrow margin of victory in the Big Ten title game.
Mississippi, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Miami are teams 6 through 10 in the AP poll. AP voters moved Miami up two spots — ahead of Alabama and BYU. The Hurricanes will be hoping the committee follows suit, which would grant them an at-large bid.
AP Top 25 poll rankings
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
1. Indiana
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Texas Tech
5. Oregon
6. Ole Miss
7. Texas A&M
8. Oklahoma
9. Notre Dame
10. Miami (Fla.)
11. Alabama
12. BYU
13. Vanderbilt
14. Texas
15. Utah
16. USC
17. Tulane
18. Michigan
19. James Madison
20. Virginia
21. Arizona
22. Navy
23. North Texas
24. Georgia Tech
25. Missouri
By DAVE ZELIO
Indiana’s Tyrique Tucker and Drew Evans celebrate after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
One team that doesn’t have to sweat much today about the College Football Playoff announcement: Indiana.
At 13-0, the Hoosiers are the last unbeaten team in major college football after beating Ohio State in a thriller for their first outright championship since 1945. By beating the Buckeyes, Indiana ended the nation’s longest active winning streak at 16 and the Big Ten’s longest winning streak in a series between two teams.
In between, the Hoosiers shed the label of FBS’ losing-est program, too.
Most expect Indiana to grab AP’s No. 1 ranking and get the No. 1 CFP seed later today.
Duke tight end Jeremiah Hasley (85) scores a touchdown against Virginia in overtime of the Atlantic Coast Conference championship NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
Duke’s overtime win against No. 16 Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game was something of a doomsday scenario for the league when it comes to the College Football Playoff.
The five-loss Blue Devils were unranked in the CFP, which raises the potential that the ACC could get shut out of the 12-team playoff later today. Sun Belt champion James Madison could secure the last automatic bid that goes to the five highest-ranked conference champions; three of those –- the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC -– are locks and American champ Tulane is considered the fourth.
ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips says his league deserves two bids: one for No. 12 Miami as an at-large team and one for Saturday’s title-game winner.
Alabama, Notre Dame and Miami fans probably had something of a sleepless night ahead of the College Football Playoff bracket announcement.
Last week’s CFP rankings moved Alabama up a spot, raising the idea that the Crimson Tide have a cushion to make the bracket even if they lost to Georgia in the SEC championship game, which they did.
Notre Dame has won 10 straight games convincingly since starting 0-2, but had a lighter schedule than both Alabama and Miami, which handed the Fighting Irish one of those losses. Altogether those factors complicate the bottom of the playoff bracket.
It’s one of the biggest days on the calendar in college sports: The College Football Playoff will release its second 12-team bracket to kick off the postseason chase for the national championship.
We will kick things off soon with the final regular-season AP Top 25 football poll, so keep an eye for changes there that could foreshadow what you see in the CFP bracket.
There are eight teams that can feel pretty good about making the CFP, from Indiana to Ohio State and Georgia to Texas Tech and Ole Miss.
The final four slots are something else entirely. There is a lot of uncertainty on those and we will update you throughout the bracket release.
No organization has been ranking teams and naming a major college football national champion longer than The Associated Press, since 1936.
AP employees don’t vote themselves, but they do choose the voters. AP Top 25 voters comprise around 60 writers and broadcasters who cover college football for AP members and other select outlets. The goal is to have every state with a Football Bowl Subdivision school represented by at least one voter.
There is a 1-to-25 point system, with a team voted No. 1 receiving 25 points down to 1 point for a 25th-place vote. After that, it’s simple: The poll lists the teams with the most points from 1 to 25, and others receiving votes are also noted.
Voting is done online, and the tabulation is automated.
Indiana's Fernando Mendoza celebrates after the Big Ten championship NCAA college football game against Ohio State in Indianapolis, Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
