His father was originally from American Samoa; Tuitama and his sister were raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He received PrepStar All-America honors, as well as votes in the Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West Poll.
He led St. Mary's to California's Division I sectional championship, beating Nevada Union High School, 50-45 with Tuitama completing his last 11 passes.
During his tenure at Arizona he would set several school records, all of which were subsequently broken by Nick Foles, except career touchdowns (67) which they are tied.
Some analysis and media outlets reported his ill-timed DUI arrest in March 2009 and guilty plea in June of that year may have been considered a factor.