Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 35-7vs Eastern Michigan | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
#11
Anelu Lafaele
Sophomore edge rusher for Michigan State. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 240 lb · Kalihi, HI · Farrington
Returning to Michigan State for 2026
The numbers
0.5
sacks · 2026
0.5 TFL · 1 tackles · 1 hurries
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 sacks, 0.5 TFL, 1 tackles, vs Eastern Michigan
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
2 edge rusher for Michigan State. 2026: 1 game with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Wisconsin in 2024.
- Transferred from Wisconsin to Michigan State in 2025.
Anelu Lafaele
Anelu Lafaele has been at Michigan State through two head coaches in two seasons. One game to point at: 1 tackles, 0.5 sacks against Eastern Michigan — Week 2, 2026.
1 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2024
- Signed with Wisconsin3-star out of Farrington
20255 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Michigan State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coaches2025
Michigan State
Coaching transition mid-career: Jonathan Smith → Pat Fitzgerald. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2025Michigan State4-8HC: Jonathan Smith · Balanced
2026Michigan State2-0HC: Pat Fitzgerald · Run-heavy, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Elite: qb hurries (83rd percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Pat Fitzgerald
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Michigan State | 1 | -- | 0.5 | 0.5 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Michigan State | 7 | 6 | 2.0 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 8 | 6 | 2.5 | 2.5 | -- | -- | -- |
Game log
How he plays
2026 Outlook
Michigan State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Edge · Michigan State
Returning around him
- 2 Michigan State players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -18 net (28 in / 46 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Michigan State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #61 · 2026 recruiting class #45
Background
Redshirt sophomore enters his second season with the Spartans in 2026 . . . spent one season at Wisconsin (2024) before transferring to Michigan State in January 2025. 2025 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN AT MICHIGAN STATE): Played in the first five games to earn his first letter . . . suffered an inju...
The defensive line · Michigan State
- #23Kenny Soares Jr.4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #11Anelu Lafaele2 tackles for loss · 2025
- #96Eli Coenen1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #13Isaac Smith1 tackle for loss · 2025
- #25Carlos Hazelwood0.5 tackles for loss · 2025
14 more on the roster · Michigan State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology