Former nose tackle at UTEP. 2024: 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 20 tackles.
6′0″ · 295 lb · Tempe, AZ
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 story
Former nose tackle at UTEP. 2024: 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 20 tackles.
The record fills in as he plays.
His career, year by yearSione Tonga'Uiha
Wins his gap play after play. Sione Tonga'Uiha has been at UTEP through two head coaches in five seasons. One game to point at: 4 tackles, 1.5 TFL against New Mexico State — Week 14, 2024.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
How it ended
Five seasons at UTEP, 47 tackles — his college career is complete.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2020–2024
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Dana Dimel → Scotty Walden. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: solo tackles (2nd percentile).
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 · Per-game
2024 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road4g | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+5g | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Scotty Walden
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Player standing · 2024
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 8 · 2024
W 30–21
3 TOT · 1 SOLO · 1 TFL
With J. Jackson — 148 rush yds (26 car) · 1 TD · A. Jacklin — 34 AVG · 2 IN 20 · 49 LONG
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 8 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | L 24-27vs Southern Utah | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 10-28@ Liberty | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | L 17-27@ Colorado State | 3 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 30-21vs Florida International | 3 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 10-14@ Louisiana Tech | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | L 13-20vs Middle Tennessee | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | W 43-35vs Kennesaw State | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | W 42-35@ New Mexico State | 4 | 1 | 1.5 | 1.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 20 | 3 | 4.0 | 1.5 | — | 0 |
Play style
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
CFB Index positional classification
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
20 tackles. 0 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 4 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Player DNA
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
His 2024 production profile sits closest to Jordan Branch’s 2022 season.
Matches Jordan on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Dion Washington's graduate season at Boise State (2025).
Matches Dion on
Differs from Dion on
Player DNA