Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 14-13@ Georgia Tech | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 52-21vs Weber State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
#88
Samu Taumanupepe
Senior defensive lineman on Colorado's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 375 lb · Humble, TX · Atascocita
Transferred Baylor → Colorado for 2026
The numbers
0
sacks · 2026
3 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, vs Weber State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman on Colorado's 2026 roster.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Texas A&M in 2023.
- Transferred from Baylor to Colorado in 2026.
Samu Taumanupepe
Three head coaches in three seasons, at three different programs. One game to point at: 2 tackles against Weber State — Week 2, 2026.
3 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Texas A&M3-star out of Atascocita
2025
- Entered the portal
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Colorado
Played his entire career under Deion Sanders.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Colorado
2025Baylor
2026Colorado
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Texas A&M8-5HC: Mike Elko · Run-leaning
2025Baylor5-7HC: Dave Aranda · Pass-leaning, fast tempo
2026Colorado2-0HC: Deion Sanders · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
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: 1.5 TKL/g, 0.0 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
Deion Sanders
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
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 52–21
vs Weber State
2 TOT
Dominant 31-point win at home against Weber State.
With J. Lewis — 366 yds · 4 TD · 0 INT · QBR 85.2 · -23 rush yds (4 car) · 1 TD · D. Greaves — 51 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 57 LONG
Game log
Background
AS A TRANSFER Rated as a three-star transfer prospect by 247 Sports. Listed as the No. 986 player in the transfer portal and the No. 111 defensive lineman as of January 29, 2026. Enters Colorado as an undergraduate transfer with two years to play two. AT BAYLOR (2025) Played in six games as a res...
The defensive line · Colorado
- #97Santana Hopper8.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #99Dylan Manuel7 tackles for loss · 2025
- #45Vili Taufatofua7 tackles for loss · 2025
- #95Yamil Talib4 tackles for loss · 2025
- #88Samu Taumanupepe0 tackles for loss · 2025
12 more on the roster · Colorado team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology