Dual-sport athlete Larry Tuileta did not have time for the pain.
Two days after his collegiate volleyball career ended with Hawaii’s omission from the NCAA tournament, Tuileta was back on the football field, participating at quarterback in the Rainbow Warriors’ 13th practice of spring training.
“Today was really good,” Tuileta said following Tuesday’s two-hour practice. “It was more about just learning and getting my arm back. My arm is still way behind. I think I’m really rusty technique-wise.”
It was admittedly a “quick turnaround” for Tuileta, who expected to be preparing for next week’s national volleyball tournament. Instead, Tuileta was left dazed and confused when he learned on Sunday that the Warriors did not receive one of the two at-large berths.
Later on Sunday, Tuileta recalled, “that’s when my passion for (volleyball) came out and I started feeling mad about the situation. But you can’t do anything about it.”
On Monday afternoon, quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann sent this text: “We’ll be out there at 5:30 in the morning. We’ll see you there.”
Before Tuesday’s dawn, Tuileta was dressed in an orange practice jersey.
“He changed out the balls from volleyball to football,” Stutzmann said. “It was nice to have him out there. He’s a great presence. He’s a great guy. We’re going to benefit from having him on the field.”
Because of volleyball and school commitments, Tuileta participated in only one of the first 12 spring football practices. The Warriors will practice on Thursday, and then conclude spring training with Saturday’s situational scrimmage at the Ching Athletic Complex.
“We need to get (Tuileta) into the rotation,” Stutzmann said. “We need to get him caught up to speed with the run-and-shoot, because it’s different from what we did last year.”
The Warriors switched from a hybrid offense to a four-wide attack this spring.
“He throws the ball pretty well,” Stutzmann added. “He has to get his feet right, get his drops right, get his reads right. It’s really the mental things. He’s there physically. He’s in shape because he’s been playing volleyball.”
Tuileta practiced but did not play in any games in 2017, his first football season with the Warriors since leaving USC in December 2015. Tuileta was put on a football scholarship last year with the understanding he also would continue to play volleyball. Tuileta’s volleyball eligibility has expired, but he is eligible to play football this fall.
Tuileta said his summer plans include training with the U.S. volleyball team, whose base is in Anaheim, Calif. The national team also will train in Hawaii for a week. While his childhood dream is to compete in the Olympics one day, he reaffirmed his UH commitments, saying: “I’m, for sure, playing football in the fall.”
Stutzmann said: “I’m excited to have him for the last two days, and then get him for the fall, and then see where it goes from there.”