Game log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 22-44@ Texas A&M | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 48-7vs McNeese | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Total | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#47
Naki Fahina
Senior defensive tackle on Utah State's 2026 roster.
5′11″ · 295 lb · Hawthorne, CA
CFB Index 12 · #274 of 285 interior linemenLow confidenceReturning to Utah State for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
0
sacks · 2025
1 TFL · 7 tackles
2 games into 2025 so far -- Best game: 1 TFL, 2 tackles, at Texas A&M
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive tackle on Utah State's 2025 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to UNLV in 2019.
- Transferred from New Mexico State to Utah State in 2025.
Naki Fahina
Wins his gap play after play. Naki Fahina has played for four head coaches across seven seasons and three programs. The receipt: 5 tackles against McNeese — Week 4, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
3 programs, one constant: he played.
20194 games
- Signed with UNLV3-star out of Lawndale
20249 games
The role got bigger.
- Entered the portal
2025
The snaps went the other way.
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2019–2025
5 coaches2019
Utah State
2020era →
Frank Maile
Utah State
2024era →
Nate Dreiling
Utah State
Played under 5 different head coaches: Gary Andersen, Frank Maile, Blake Anderson, Nate Dreiling, and Bronco Mendenhall. Multi-era developmental context.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2019UNLV4-8HC: Tony Sanchez · Run-leaning
2020UNLV0-6HC: Marcus Arroyo · Run-leaning
2021UNLV2-10HC: Marcus Arroyo · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2022UNLV5-7HC: Marcus Arroyo · Balanced
2023UNLV9-5HC: Barry Odom · Run-leaning
2024New Mexico State3-9HC: Tony Sanchez · Run-heavy
2025Utah State6-7HC: Bronco Mendenhall · Balanced
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidence
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 2 games: 3.5 TKL/g, 0.5 TFL/g, 0.0 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bronco Mendenhall
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2024
Part-time starter
Tackle volume for the position in part-time-starter range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
12 · #274 of 285 interior linemen
Three-star recruit. Now #274 at the position.
Career stats
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Utah State | 7 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2024 | New Mexico State | 29 | 9 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | UNLV | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | UNLV | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2021 | UNLV | 18 | 8 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2020 | UNLV | 6 | 4 | 1.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2019 | UNLV | 5 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 69 | 27 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2025
W 48–7
vs McNeese
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Utah State
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive tackle · Utah State
Returning around him
- Transfer portal: +10 net (29 in / 19 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Utah State · Last season: 6-7 · Talent rank #123 · 2026 recruiting class #97
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Isaiah Lee’s 2022 season.
Matches Isaiah on
Weight
Class year
Hurry rate
Differs from Isaiah on
Height (lower)
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
Player DNA
Players who play like Naki Fahina
The defensive line · Utah State
- #9Tyree Morris5.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #28Carson Tujague4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #51Ta'Avili Tuitama4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #10Gabriel Iniguez Jr.1.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #47Naki Fahina1 tackle for loss · 2025
11 more on the roster · Utah State team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology