UNLV’s Tuiloma-Va’a credits grandfather, stepfather for sacrifices

ELY -- Eric Tuiloma-Va'a, like other UNLV players before kickoff, feels that competitive combination of nerves and excitement.

But before he leaves the locker room, Tuiloma-Va'a gets on a knee, lowers his head, closes his eyes and prays for the two most important men in life.

He prays for guidance and protection to the grandfather who used to lug him around everywhere from his job to the grocery store, and whose death in 1999 drove home the importance of appreciating life.

And he also prays for his stepfather, who came into Tuiloma-Va'a's life at just the right time, and who would sacrifice to send the youngster to camps so he would be in a position to eventually become a major college football player.

"And I go out there and represent both sides of my family," Tuiloma-Va'a said.

Tuiloma-Va'a is so devoted to his stepfather, "who I consider my real dad," he even added Natiso Va'a's surname to his own in high school, though he hasn't legally changed his name.

"He put money toward me he could've put toward rent," Tuiloma-Va'a said. "He put so much effort and time toward me, and helped me get to college."

Tuiloma-Va'a enters his sophomore season as a starter at safety for UNLV, though this could've been his redshirt freshman season.

Injuries and a lack of depth in the secondary pressed him into immediate action last year, and Tuiloma-Va'a quickly discovered he wasn't at Desert Pines High School anymore.

When UNLV opened last season against Wisconsin, Tuiloma-Va'a was amazed at the size and speed of the opposing players. The first half seemed like a blur, and it wasn't until the second half that football began to feel more like the sport he knew.

That game, a 41-21 loss to the Badgers, showed Tuiloma-Va'a he needed to get stronger and faster if he had any hope of competing at this level.

He since has increased each of his lifts -- squat, bench press, squat clean and power clean -- by at least 60 pounds. Tuiloma-Va'a (5 feet 11 inches, 185 pounds) also has shaved a tenth of a second off his 40-yard dash time to 4.6.

Just as valuable was the experience he received from playing right away, and later becoming a starter for the final four games. He finished sixth on the team with 48 tackles.

Secondary coach and pass defense coordinator J.D. Williams would've preferred to redshirt Tuiloma-Va'a to allow him to grow physically and mature.

But being forced to play Tuiloma-Va'a -- as well as another freshman, cornerback Sidney Hodge -- also has its benefits.

"They're more mature now because they played last year," Williams said. "If we can hold the true freshmen, I'd like to, but if the true freshmen are better, you've got to play them.

"Where they are right now, compared to if I had sat them, they're way far ahead."

Tuiloma-Va'a still thinks about his grandfather, Kosene Kosene Jr., though the player's memories of the death itself are fuzzy.

The lasting impact isn't.

"It changed my life a lot and made me appreciate the little things a lot more," Tuiloma-Va'a said. "I grew up real fast when I was 7 or 8. It made me appreciate what I had because when my grandpa passed away, it was like I lost everything."

In the same year his grandfather died, Natiso Va'a became Tuiloma-Va'a's stepfather.

"My step-dad kept going with me after my grandpa passed away," Tuiloma-Va'a said. "Just tough love -- you have to work in life to get what you want."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.