'It's Go Time': Colts' Jaylahn Tuimoloau Embracing Chance to Start

Jaylahn Tuimoloau entered the NFL on a heater last spring.

He and his Ohio State Buckeyes entered the College Football Playoffs angry after a home loss in the regular-season finale to the hated Michigan Wolverines, storming their way through the next four games en route to the National Championship.

Tuimoloau produced the most dominant stretch of his career, totaling 23 tackles (10.0 for loss), 6.5 sacks, and a pair of pass breakups in those four games. That performance left a lasting impression as Tuimoloau entered the NFL Draft, selected in the second round by the Indianapolis Colts with the 45th overall pick.

The Colts needed pass rush depth off the edge, but had a room full of veterans around Tuimoloau, featuring Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, Tyquan Lewis, and the Colts' 2024 first-round pick, Laiatu Latu.

As a result, the Colts had little urgency to get Tuimoloau involved, and he played just 215 snaps on defense throughout the season. He did display some versatility, however, lining up 30 times inside at tackle, 83 times at defensive end, and another 101 times in a two-point stance as an outside linebacker.

This offseason is a different scenario for Tuimoloau, as Paye and Ebukam both left in free agency, and Lewis remains on the market. The second-year Buckeye now has a chance to go from seldom-used defender with zero sacks to a starter, opposite Latu.

"First, I think that was a big shock to me. I texted them just to tell them how thankful I was to be under their wings and learn from them," Tuimoloau said of the veteran departures. "And for me, it was, 'Alright, it's time to go. There's an opportunity for you out there. It's time to put your head down, stay humble, but be very hungry at the same time.' And for me, it was exciting to see some opportunities ahead for me, but right now, I've just got to take each day as they come and continue to get better each day."

Regardless of whoever was present on the roster, Tuimoloau was approaching this offseason as if he controlled the outcome.

"I think my rookie year, just being able to learn from the guys in front of me, just being able to gain a lot of information. Especially going into this offseason, I wanted to come back different," Tuimoloau said. "I had no vacation. Only vacation I had was going back to the family (and) played golf, that was it. But other than that, it was just keeping my head down and just grinding and just wanting to come back and – come back in a different shape and come back looking better."

While part of the reason Tuimoloau wasn't a common fixture of the defensive line were the veterans around him, he also needed to get himself more prepared for the NFL game by working on his body.

"Yeah, for me, my goal was to just be as lean as possible and become more twitchy and a lot faster," Tuimoloau said. "I think this is my first offseason having to not worry about no Combine or Pro Day. So, I actually got the time to sit back and really process what I wanted to get done.

"And it was just leaning out to, one, to become bigger, stronger, faster in every area possible. And I set a goal, sent it out to my trainers, and told my family, 'Look, this is what we're doing,' and told my team, 'This is what we're doing.' And I feel like I accomplished that. I'm excited to – we have minicamp coming up, and then we got that little break to get ready for training camp, and I'm just truly excited."

While Tuimoloau has a chance to earn a significant role, it won't be easy. The Colts signed veteran defensive ends Arden Key and Micheal Clemons in free agency.

Where the Colts invested early draft capital in Tuimoloau, they invested financially in the two veterans, so whoever starts is anybody's ballgame.