Marques Tuiasosopo - Football Coach - Rice University Athletics

Marques Tuiasosopo

Title:
Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks
Email:
Phone:
348-6900

Marques Tuiasosopo joined the Owls in February of 2021 as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, reuniting with Dunlevie Family Head Football Coach Mike Bloomgren for the first time since 2007 when both were with the New York Jets (Tuiasosopo as a quarterback, Bloomgren as an offensive quality control coach).

In his four seasons on South Main, the Owls’ offense posted two of the top five completion totals in school history and three of the top 10 seasons in passing yardage. Individually, three of his quarterbacks fashioned the top three seasons for completion percentage in school history: JT Daniels, 63.2 in 2023; E. J. Warner, 62.0 in 2024; and Jake Constantine, 61.2 in 2021 and Dean Connors set school career marks for receptions (113) and receiving yards (912) by a running back. In 2023, Boden Groen was second among AAC tight ends with 39 receptions, third with 383 yards, and fifth with three touchdowns.

In 2024, Tuiasosopo’s offensive attack compiled the third-most completions in school history (293), the fourth-most attempts (487), and the eighth-best passing yardage total in school history. On the ground, the Owls averaged 4.52 per carry, the eighth-best mark in school history.

In 2023, the Owls threw for 3,282 yards (4th best in school history), while their 29 touchdown passes matched the second-best total in school history, and their 29.5 points per game average was their largest since they averaged 29.6 on the way to the Conference USA title in 2013.

J.T. Daniels (9) and A.J. Padgett (4) handled the starting chores in 2023, the fewest number of starting QB’s in Tuiasosopo’s tenure. Daniels threw for 2,443 yards and 21 touchdowns last year, while Padgett came on to throw for 721 and eight TDs at the end of the year. Padgett threw for 634 yards and tied a school bowl record by throwing three TD passes in the 2022 Lending Tree Bowl after taking over for T.J. McMahon, who threw for 2,102 yards and 18 touchdowns in 10 games (nine starts) in relief of season-opening starter Wiley Green, before he was lost for the season in the 10th game of the year.

His first season on South Main saw Tuiasosopo go four deep into his quarterback room due to injuries with Wiley Green, Luke McCaffrey and Jake Constantine all starting at least three games and then JT McMahon coming on in relief to lead a winning rally against LA Tech in the season finale. Despite the instability, the Owls threw for their most yards and touchdowns since 2016.

Tuiasosopo joined the Owls after spending the last 12 seasons coaching on the offensive side of the ball in the Pac 12 Conference, including the last four years shaping the offensive attack for the California Golden Bears.

When Tuiasosopo came to Cal as part of head coach Justin Wilcox's first staff in 2017 there were no tight ends on the Bears' roster after the position had been eliminated in the offenses of previous head coach Sonny Dykes. But the position group returned under Wilcox and become more prominent in 2020 under the direction of offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave.

The former college and NFL quarterback spent his first two seasons at Cal in 2017 and 2018 coaching the team's signal-callers while serving as the team's passing game coordinator and recruiting coordinator. Tuiasosopo worked with an inherited group of young and inexperienced quarterbacks that had no starts and little experience between them upon his arrival after the departures of three-year starter Jared Goff (2013-15) and graduate transfer starter Davis Webb (2016). Ross Bowers started the first 12 games of his collegiate career as a 2017 junior and threw for 3039 yards to rank sixth on Cal's all-time single-season list while his 253.2 passing yards were fourth in the conference but after also starting the 2018 season opener fell behind current starter Chase Garbers and Brandon McIlwain on the depth chart with the trio combining for 2421 yards in the air and 16 touchdowns in the air while rushing for another 816 yards and six scores.

Before he arrived at Cal, Tuiasosopo spent the 2016 campaign as the passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach at UCLA in 2016 and oversaw the development of 2018 NFL Draft first-round pick Josh Rosen with the Bruins’ passing offense ranking No. 19 nationally (295.6 ypg) despite Rosen missing six of the Bruins' 12 games due to injury. Tuiasosopo first joined the UCLA staff as an intern in the football office in 2011 before being elevated to full-time quarterbacks coach for the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. In 2012, he served as UCLA’s tight ends coach for a squad that finished 9-5 overall and played in the Holiday Bowl.

Tuiasosopo returned to his alma mater Washington to coach quarterbacks in 2013 and by the end of the season was the interim head coach for the Huskies’ victory over BYU in the Fight Hunger Bowl. Washington ranked 16th nationally in completion percentage (65.4%) while senior quarterback Keith Price ended his career as the Huskies’ all-time leader in several categories including completion percentage (64.0%), passing efficiency (143.2), and touchdown passes (75).

In between his two stints at UCLA, he spent two seasons as the associate head coach offense and tight ends coach at USC, where he was named the Pac-12 Recruiter of the Year by Scout.com in February of 2015 after helping the Trojans haul in the nation’s top recruiting class that year according to the organization.

The two offenses Tuiasosopo worked with at USC in 2014 and 2015 were efficient and also took excellent care of the football.

USC finished 9-4 overall including a Holiday Bowl victory over Nebraska in his first season with the Trojans in 2014, producing the nation’s top completion percentage (69.1%), ranking second in fewest turnovers lost (12), and fourth in passing efficiency (165.35), while throwing only five interceptions to tie for the sixth-lowest total in the country. An 8-6 USC team that reached the Holiday Bowl for a second consecutive season in 2015 ranked among the nation’s top 20 in fewest turnovers lost (T4th, 12), fewest fumbles lost (T9th, 5), completion percentage (11th, 66.7%), fewest passes intercepted (T11th, 7) and team passing efficiency (20th, 153.60).

Before his coaching career, Tuiasosopo played for eight seasons in the NFL with Oakland (2001-06, 2008) and the New York Jets (2007). He was drafted in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Raiders following a brilliant four-year playing career for the Huskies (1997-2000).

Tuiasosopo finished eighth in Heisman Trophy voting as a 2000 senior while also earning Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year and Rose Bowl MVP honors. The two-time UW captain (1999-2000) established the school’s career total offense record (7374) as he passed for 5879 yards and 33 touchdowns while rushing for another 1495 yards with 21 TDs. In a 1999 victory over Stanford during his 1999 junior season, he became the first NCAA Division I player to pass for at least 300 yards and rush for at least 200 yards in the same game as he combined for a school-record 509 total yards (302 passing, 207 rush). The Huskies also reached bowls in each of his first three seasons (1997 Aloha Bowl, 1998 Oahu Bowl, 1999 Holiday Bowl).

After Tuiasosopo’s playing career ended following the 2008 NFL season, he spent the 2009 and 2010 football campaigns as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater Washington, where he earned his business degree in 2001.

The former NFL player and collegiate standout was honored for his legendary status in the game when he was enshrined into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame in January of 2019.

Tuiasosopo was a two-sport prep standout who starred in both football and baseball at Woodinville High School. He was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1997 MLB Draft but chose to play collegiate football. He comes from an incredible athletic lineage with many collegiate and professional athletes in his family including Cal Athletic Hall of Famer and All-American fullback Johnny Olszewski (1950-52), who was the No. 4 overall selection by the Chicago Cardinals in the 1953 NFL Draft and spent 10 seasons in the NFL with Chicago (1953-57), Washington (1958-60), Detroit (1961) and Denver (1962). His uncle, Faasamala Tagaloa, was a two-year letter winner as a wide receiver at Cal (1988-89) while his father, Manu Tuiasosopo, played defensive line at UCLA (1975-78) before embarking on an eight-year NFL career with Seattle (1979-83) and San Francisco (1984-86). Manu is also was enshrined into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2018.

Tuiasosopo and his wife, Lisa, a former volleyball player at North Carolina, have two sons, Brayden and Bryce, and a daughter, Kylie.