Tui sighting

[seacat85]

Walked into the Puyallup WA LA Fitness to get a work out. Was wearing a Bobcat hoodie and one of the guys at the front desk asked if it was MSU (it was just a Bobcat head logo). Said yes and he said he played football there. Then he proceeded to roll up his sleeve and show off his FTG tat. Asked what time he was there and he said he was recruited by Choate. Stopped and talked to him on the way out and asked what position he played and he said OL. Asked his name and he said Taylor Tuiasosopo.

[coachouert]

Walked into the Puyallup WA LA Fitness to get a work out. Was wearing a Bobcat hoodie and one of the guys at the front desk asked if it was MSU (it was just a Bobcat head logo). Said yes and he said he played football there. Then he proceeded to roll up his sleeve and show off his FTG tat. Asked what time he was there and he said he was recruited by Choate. Stopped and talked to him on the way out and asked what position he played and he said OL. Asked his name and he said Taylor Tuiasosopo.

[ilovethecats]

Walked into the Puyallup WA LA Fitness to get a work out. Was wearing a Bobcat hoodie and one of the guys at the front desk asked if it was MSU (it was just a Bobcat head logo). Said yes and he said he played football there. Then he proceeded to roll up his sleeve and show off his FTG tat. Asked what time he was there and he said he was recruited by Choate. Stopped and talked to him on the way out and asked what position he played and he said OL. Asked his name and he said Taylor Tuiasosopo.

[AFCAT]

Has he changed much, lose weight, cut his hair, etc., because he was pretty recognizable back in his MSU days?

[seacat85]

Has he changed much, lose weight, cut his hair, etc., because he was pretty recognizable back in his MSU days?

Didn't recognize him but then I've been gone for so long and didn't get many of the games on TV out here during that time frame. He did mention that he used to wear dreads but not any more. Couldn't tell you about the weight. Initially I was going to guess DB then I got another look and thought LB. Little surprised to hear OL. It seems like all of those big guys lose weight after the playing days are over.

[AFCAT]

Has he changed much, lose weight, cut his hair, etc., because he was pretty recognizable back in his MSU days?

Didn't recognize him but then I've been gone for so long and didn't get many of the games on TV out here during that time frame. He did mention that he used to wear dreads but not any more. Couldn't tell you about the weight. Initially I was going to guess DB then I got another look and thought LB. Little surprised to hear OL. It seems like all of those big guys lose weight after the playing days are over.

That's what my bother says. Linemen get skinny and DBs get fat after college.

[bobcatfan123]

Has he changed much, lose weight, cut his hair, etc., because he was pretty recognizable back in his MSU days?

Didn't recognize him but then I've been gone for so long and didn't get many of the games on TV out here during that time frame. He did mention that he used to wear dreads but not any more. Couldn't tell you about the weight. Initially I was going to guess DB then I got another look and thought LB. Little surprised to hear OL. It seems like all of those big guys lose weight after the playing days are over.

That's what my bother says. Linemen get skinny and DBs get fat after college.

For sure! One of my friends Jimmy Verlanic was a center for the Cats. He’s a doctor in Helena now, you would NEVER guess he played on the o line.

[Prodigal Cat]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

[kwcat]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

I think Matt Brownlow lost about 135 pounds. Might be off a little, but it was a bunch

[JDoub]

Has he changed much, lose weight, cut his hair, etc., because he was pretty recognizable back in his MSU days?

Didn't recognize him but then I've been gone for so long and didn't get many of the games on TV out here during that time frame. He did mention that he used to wear dreads but not any more. Couldn't tell you about the weight. Initially I was going to guess DB then I got another look and thought LB. Little surprised to hear OL. It seems like all of those big guys lose weight after the playing days are over.

That's what my bother says. Linemen get skinny and DBs get fat after college.

For sure! One of my friends Jimmy Verlanic was a center for the Cats. He’s a doctor in Helena now, you would NEVER guess he played on the o line.

100%

I came in as a DB at 6'1" 175lbs 15% body fat - Rocky Gullickson said I need to get to 200 - 215 playing weight (I'd never lifted before) and taught me how to gain good weight. 18 months later 6'2" 202lbs 8% body fat (and no, not injecting). Great while you're working out hard - then when done playing/5hr per day workouts, the bad weight just overtakes you (well, me at least).

A couple years later ran into a former teammate in LA - Rob Fulton who moved from TE to OG and put on 65 lbs to play OL - and he was back down to 220 and running marathons! I weighed more than him. Way to go Rob!

[AFCAT]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

I think Matt Brownlow lost about 135 pounds. Might be off a little, but it was a bunch

Mitch Brott lost a ton of weight too. I hardly recognized him last year.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

I think Matt Brownlow lost about 135 pounds. Might be off a little, but it was a bunch

Mitch Brott lost a ton of weight too. I hardly recognized him last year.

I was friends with a few lineman in college. The amount they had to eat to keep or gain weight was disgusting. It’s no surprise they lose weight, I bet they were pushing 6k calories a day. If you saw Shaun Sampson today you’d never guess he played on the line.

[seacat85]

Ran into Taylor at the gym again today for the first time in a long time. From what I can tell LA Fitness seems to rotate their front desk people a lot. He told me that he was moving back to Helena in November to open a gym. I asked why Helena and not Bozeman and he said the gym market was saturated in Bozeman and to top it off his girlfriend was from Helena. I asked about opening time and he said they were targeting May next year. Had a lot of renovations to do. The location currently has no locker rooms. I believe he said the name of the place was going to be Impact Performance.

[canyoncat]

Ran into Taylor at the gym again today for the first time in a long time. From what I can tell LA Fitness seems to rotate their front desk people a lot. He told me that he was moving back to Helena in November to open a gym. I asked why Helena and not Bozeman and he said the gym market was saturated in Bozeman and to top it off his girlfriend was from Helena. I asked about opening time and he said they were targeting May next year. Had a lot of renovations to do. The location currently has no locker rooms. I believe he said the name of the place was going to be Impact Performance.

Did he say where the location in Helena will be?

[AFCAT]

Well, I guess I’ll have to go up to Helena and purchase a t-shirt or hat from his new business then.

[seacat85]

Ran into Taylor at the gym again today for the first time in a long time. From what I can tell LA Fitness seems to rotate their front desk people a lot. He told me that he was moving back to Helena in November to open a gym. I asked why Helena and not Bozeman and he said the gym market was saturated in Bozeman and to top it off his girlfriend was from Helena. I asked about opening time and he said they were targeting May next year. Had a lot of renovations to do. The location currently has no locker rooms. I believe he said the name of the place was going to be Impact Performance.

Did he say where the location in Helena will be?

He didn't give me a location. I'll ask if I see him again and I'll verify the name.

[gtapp]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

I think Matt Brownlow lost about 135 pounds. Might be off a little, but it was a bunch

Mitch Brott lost a ton of weight too. I hardly recognized him last year.

I was friends with a few lineman in college. The amount they had to eat to keep or gain weight was disgusting. It’s no surprise they lose weight, I bet they were pushing 6k calories a day. If you saw Shaun Sampson today you’d never guess he played on the line.

6K? That seems light. I was at 8500 minimum for about 25 years and uped it to 10K for another 10 years.

[Colter_Nuanez]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

I think Matt Brownlow lost about 135 pounds. Might be off a little, but it was a bunch

Mitch Brott lost a ton of weight too. I hardly recognized him last year.

I was friends with a few lineman in college. The amount they had to eat to keep or gain weight was disgusting. It’s no surprise they lose weight, I bet they were pushing 6k calories a day. If you saw Shaun Sampson today you’d never guess he played on the line.

I would say one of the most underrated biggest pieces of progress that we've seen at the FCS level in this state in terms of athlete experience and health is the implementation of true professional dieticians who help the players have a real nutrition plan and learn how to put on weight in a rapid yet healthy fashion.

Go back 15-20 years, dudes were literally going to Taco Bell dollar-taco night or Pizza Hut lunch buffet and eat themselves sick. Maxing out their meal cards at the dining hall on sysco foods and eating nothing but bad carbs.

One of my buddies was eating 12,000 calories a day. He would set alarms at midnight and 3 a.m. and wake up in the middle of the night and chug double-scoop protein shakes and crush whatever leftovers was in the fridge and then go back to bed. That's so freaking bad for you!

Even as recent as 2017 or 2018 before the two Montana schools really ramped up the nutrition part, you'd see OL and DL guys eating breakfast burritos with triple bacon before practice in full pads. I remember Dylan Mahoney told me he went to a fast food drive through for a "snack" every single day just to meet the weight demands they had for him...Honestly, disgusting, like Belligerent said....

When people wonder how Alabama and Georgia get kids from rural backgrounds who then go straight to the NFL, this is a huge part of it. You recruit kids from disadvantaged backgrounds and they get to the SEC where they have a training table that you wouldn't believe — you could literally have surf & turf every night if you wanted — and these dudes become Patrick Willis in less than 2 years. It's crazy.

Braden Zimmer told me he put on 63 pounds this last off-season. He said he was eating 350+ grams of protein a day and between 7-8K calories. That's much more realistic than eating 12,000 calories of ****** and waking up in the middle of the night to chuck gross ass chalk.

[onceacat]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

I think Matt Brownlow lost about 135 pounds. Might be off a little, but it was a bunch

Mitch Brott lost a ton of weight too. I hardly recognized him last year.

I was friends with a few lineman in college. The amount they had to eat to keep or gain weight was disgusting. It’s no surprise they lose weight, I bet they were pushing 6k calories a day. If you saw Shaun Sampson today you’d never guess he played on the line.

I would say one of the most underrated biggest pieces of progress that we've seen at the FCS level in this state in terms of athlete experience and health is the implementation of true professional dieticians who help the players have a real nutrition plan and learn how to put on weight in a rapid yet healthy fashion.

Go back 15-20 years, dudes were literally going to Taco Bell dollar-taco night or Pizza Hut lunch buffet and eat themselves sick. Maxing out their meal cards at the dining hall on sysco foods and eating nothing but bad carbs.

One of my buddies was eating 12,000 calories a day. He would set alarms at midnight and 3 a.m. and wake up in the middle of the night and chug double-scoop protein shakes and crush whatever leftovers was in the fridge and then go back to bed. That's so freaking bad for you!

Even as recent as 2017 or 2018 before the two Montana schools really ramped up the nutrition part, you'd see OL and DL guys eating breakfast burritos with triple bacon before practice in full pads. I remember Dylan Mahoney told me he went to a fast food drive through for a "snack" every single day just to meet the weight demands they had for him...Honestly, disgusting, like Belligerent said....

When people wonder how Alabama and Georgia get kids from rural backgrounds who then go straight to the NFL, this is a huge part of it. You recruit kids from disadvantaged backgrounds and they get to the SEC where they have a training table that you wouldn't believe — you could literally have surf & turf every night if you wanted — and these dudes become Patrick Willis in less than 2 years. It's crazy.

Braden Zimmer told me he put on 63 pounds this last off-season. He said he was eating 350+ grams of protein a day and between 7-8K calories. That's much more realistic than eating 12,000 calories of ****** and waking up in the middle of the night to chuck gross ass chalk.

It's pretty staggering. 10 years ago, massive beer guts were common on lineman. Now, you can go back and look at the summer pix of the O-line (to say nothing of next level players) and a lot of these guys are pushing 300 lbs with well under 20% body fat. Some of the dudes on the Cats O-line look like they may be under 15% or even pushing 10%.

And this is at an FCS school.

Its mind blowing.

[BelligerentBobcat]

Yeah Taylor was part of the '21 O-line that went to Frisco and graduated along with Lewis Kidd. Everyone thought the O-line would take a step back the next year because of their departure.

And yeah Jimmy came in the brewery with one of the partners here who is also a doctor. My partner says do you remember him and I didn't but then he said his name and I asked "didn't you play on the line?" It was hard to believe.

I think Matt Brownlow lost about 135 pounds. Might be off a little, but it was a bunch

Mitch Brott lost a ton of weight too. I hardly recognized him last year.

I was friends with a few lineman in college. The amount they had to eat to keep or gain weight was disgusting. It’s no surprise they lose weight, I bet they were pushing 6k calories a day. If you saw Shaun Sampson today you’d never guess he played on the line.

I would say one of the most underrated biggest pieces of progress that we've seen at the FCS level in this state in terms of athlete experience and health is the implementation of true professional dieticians who help the players have a real nutrition plan and learn how to put on weight in a rapid yet healthy fashion.

Go back 15-20 years, dudes were literally going to Taco Bell dollar-taco night or Pizza Hut lunch buffet and eat themselves sick. Maxing out their meal cards at the dining hall on sysco foods and eating nothing but bad carbs.

One of my buddies was eating 12,000 calories a day. He would set alarms at midnight and 3 a.m. and wake up in the middle of the night and chug double-scoop protein shakes and crush whatever leftovers was in the fridge and then go back to bed. That's so freaking bad for you!

Even as recent as 2017 or 2018 before the two Montana schools really ramped up the nutrition part, you'd see OL and DL guys eating breakfast burritos with triple bacon before practice in full pads. I remember Dylan Mahoney told me he went to a fast food drive through for a "snack" every single day just to meet the weight demands they had for him...Honestly, disgusting, like Belligerent said....

When people wonder how Alabama and Georgia get kids from rural backgrounds who then go straight to the NFL, this is a huge part of it. You recruit kids from disadvantaged backgrounds and they get to the SEC where they have a training table that you wouldn't believe — you could literally have surf & turf every night if you wanted — and these dudes become Patrick Willis in less than 2 years. It's crazy.

Braden Zimmer told me he put on 63 pounds this last off-season. He said he was eating 350+ grams of protein a day and between 7-8K calories. That's much more realistic than eating 12,000 calories of ****** and waking up in the middle of the night to chuck gross ass chalk.

350 grams of protein a day is crazy. I’d be so fat