Sione Vaki: S · Utah · #28.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Sione Vaki
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. Second year in the Utah secondary. The first career honor came in 2023: All-Pac-12. One game to point at: 9 tackles and 6 rushing yards against Oregon State — Week 5, 2023.
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
50 tackles. 2 passes defended. 1 interception. 8.5 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.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
The Salt Lake Tribune Nov 2
KJZZ Oct 29The Salt Lake Tribune Oct 27
KUTV Oct 23Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2023 season · 12 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-11vs Florida | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | |
| Wk 2 | W 20-13@ Baylor | 8 | 7 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 31-7vs Weber State | 2 | 2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 14-7vs No. 22 UCLA | 9 | 5 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 9 tackles |
| Wk 5 | L 7-21@ No. 19 Oregon State | 9 | 7 | 3.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | 3.5 TFL |
| Wk 7 | W 34-14vs California | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | W 34-32@ No. 18 USC | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 6-35vs No. 8 Oregon | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 10 | W 55-3vs Arizona State | 3 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 28-35@ No. 5 Washington | 4 | 4 | 1.0 | 1.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 12 | L 18-42@ No. 19 Arizona | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 23-17vs Colorado | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | 37 | 8.5 | 2.0 | 1 | 2 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
4%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
50tackles this seasonTFL rate
17%8 TFL50 tackles · 8.5 for loss · 2 sacks · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
2 seasons under Kyle Whittingham — 18-9 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2023 season · 12 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home7g | 3.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
| Road5g | 4.8 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.4 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 5.3 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+6g | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Pass share
37.3%
328 pass / 551 run
Plays / game
67.6
13 games
Team sack rate
6.6%
350 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-heavy.
Player standing · 2023
First team in his league at the position.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #135 at the position.
How it ended
Two seasons at Utah, 76 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — drafted at #132 overall by the Detroit Lions.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-PAC-12 · 1ST TEAM
All-Pac-12 1st team (2023)
Next stop · NFL
Detroit LionsEntering 3rd NFL season
Detroit LionsEntering 3rd NFL season
