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 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 1 tackles |
| Wk 2 | W 52-21vs Weber State | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.0 | — | 0 |
#97
Santana Hopper
Senior defensive lineman for Colorado. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′2″ · 265 lb · Shelby, NC · Shelby
CFB Index 60 · #148 of 420 edge rushersLow confidenceTransferred Tulane → Colorado 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
1
sack · 2026
1.5 TFL · 2 tackles · 2 hurries
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 1 sacks, 1 TFL, 1 tackles, vs Weber State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
4 defensive lineman for Colorado. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to App State in 2022.
- Transferred from Tulane to Colorado in 2026.
Santana Hopper
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Across five seasons and three programs, three head coaches: Shawn Clark, Jon Sumrall and Deion Sanders. He has been named All-AAC two seasons running, most recently in 2025. The receipt on tape: 1 tackles, 1 sacks against Weber State, Week 2, 2026.
2 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
His career
Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.
2022
- Signed with App State3-star out of Shelby
20249 games
The role got bigger.
- All-Sun Beltfirst
202511 games
- Entered the portal
- All-AACfirst
2026
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
3 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
🥈
ALL-AAC · 1ST TEAM
All-AAC 1st team (2025)
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
2 coaches2022
Mike Sanford Jr.
Colorado
Coaching transition mid-career: Mike Sanford Jr. → Deion Sanders. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Where He Ended Up · Transfer
Transferred to Colorado
2025Tulane
2026Colorado
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022App State6-6HC: Shawn Clark · Run-leaning
2023App State9-5HC: Shawn Clark · Balanced
2024App State5-6HC: Shawn Clark · Balanced
2025Tulane11-3HC: Jon Sumrall · Run-leaning
2026Colorado2-0HC: Deion Sanders · Run-leaning
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Medium confidenceAscending
Elite: qb hurries (96th percentile). Strength: sacks (87th 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 2 games: 1.0 TKL/g, 0.8 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
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
1 TOT · 1 SOLO · 1 SACKS
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
How he plays
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
DNA match
Player DNA
3-Tech Penetrator
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to D'Anthony Jones’s 2022 season.
82%match
All-AAC
Matches D'Anthony on
Height
Hurry rate
Sack rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Jalen Thornton's senior season at West Virginia (2023).
79%match
Matches Jalen on
Class year
TFL rate
Hurry rate
Differs from Jalen on
Sack rate (lower)
Player DNA
Players who play like Santana Hopper
Background
AS A TRANSFER Rated as a three-star transfer prospect by 247 Sports. Listed as the No. 232 player in the transfer portal and the No. 16 defensive lineman as of January 7, 2026. Enters Colorado as an undergraduate transfer with one year to play one. AT TULANE (2025) Played in all 14 games during h...
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
- #52Immanuel Ezeogu2.5 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