CFB Zeitgeist Score
72
Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 83rd percentile.
Sone Aupiu
Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.
68 TACKLES · 1 SACKS
2026 Outlook
Returning to New Mexico State for 2026
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Linebacker · New Mexico State
Returning around him
- 56% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- Transfer portal: +1 net (25 in / 24 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
New Mexico State · Last season: 4-8 · Talent rank #130 · 2026 recruiting class #126
LB · NEW MEXICO STATE · CONFERENCE USA
Sone Aupiu
- 3
- #14
- 6-1 | 225 lb
- Long Beach, CA
Heisman Heat
#15371
<1% win probability
Fan Belief
Awaiting
Player-specific FI not yet ingested. Falls back to team mood below.
Respect Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
Reality Gap
Awaiting
Coming online with player-level FI.
ACCOLADE PROBABILITY
Heisman
<1%
TOP LB AWARD
Butkus
—
CONSENSUS
All-American
—
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 2 · StarterR06 · Starter
Starter. A locked-in starting role.
Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career Arc
HS
Recruit
—
CFB
College
New Mexico State
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Identity & Role
The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.
Recruiting Pedigree
How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.
| Class | Profile | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No recruiting profile is on file for this player. | ||
Transfer Arc
Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.
| Season | Move | Context |
|---|---|---|
| No transfer portal moves on file for this player. | ||
Heisman Lens · 2024 Season · Final
Where the player landed at the end of the listed season — final nowcast rank, win/finalist/ballot probabilities, and the cleanest official Heisman placement on file.
HIGH CONFIDENCE· through week 16Heisman Futures
Not yet listed on major futures markets.
No achievements unlocked yet this season.
Selector Grid · 2025
AP—
FWAA—
AFCA—
WCFF—
SN—
SI—
Selector recognition fills in once the major honors lists (AP, FWAA, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sporting News, SI) are scraped and ingested.
Today’s Hot-Take
The Hot-Take engine fires when this player’s percentile profile crosses a defensible threshold (top 10% in a cohort, 100+ snap sample). When it’s quiet, the model is honoring its “must be defensible” rule.
Anti-Take
PENDINGThe contrarian read fires when the rules-engine detects a stat that complicates the Hot-Take. Quiet here means the model hasn’t found a defensible counter yet — not that one doesn’t exist.
The Room on Sone Aupiu
Fan sentiment · Awaiting signal
The Room reads fan conversation around a player — who’s talking, what they believe, and how that shifts. It publishes once weekly volume rebuilds; for most players that’s in-season, when game-week chatter spikes.
Cohort divergence map
Cohort divergence reads how different fanbases talk about this player. Returns once weekly mentions clear the publish floor.
Rival Radar
How rival fanbases talk about Sone Aupiu
No rival-bucket mentions in the current season.
Signature Story
Awaiting candidate metric
He hasn't written his page yet — we'll start filling it in when there are enough snaps to rank against his peers.
Signature Moment
No signature moment on the ledger yet.
Returns once this player puts together a multi-game body of work — single-game flashes alone don't clear the bar.
Season Pace · Projection
Where the defensive totals stand
Through 11g
68Tackles
5.5Tackles for loss
1Sacks
Per game
6Tackles
0.5Tackles for loss
0.1Sacks
Projected (13g)
80Tackles
6.5Tackles for loss
1.2Sacks
To hit 80-tackle season (currently 68): needs 6/game over remaining 2.
To hit 100-tackle season (currently 68): needs 16/game over remaining 2.
To hit 6-sack season (currently 1): needs 2.5/game over remaining 2.
To hit 10-sack season (currently 1): needs 4.5/game over remaining 2.
Why this is a rare defensive case
The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.
Sone Aupiu is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on New Mexico State's defense, with 1.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 1 interceptions through the current loaded season. For a defender, the question is never just production; it is whether elite disruption and team context can become nationally undeniable.
2025 Season · Final
Traditional stats first. Advanced context underneath.
Last season
DEF season snapshot
2025 season snapshot | final
2025 season snapshot | finalData: CFBD player stats + local Heisman modelPeer context: same position + same level
Player identity What kind of player is this?
30-second read
What kind of player is this?
High-disruption defender | Coverage splash | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.
2025 Season · Final
2025 season snapshot | final
Tackling & Disruption
TOT
68 94th
SOLO
34 92nd
TFL
5.5 90th
SACK
1.0 82nd
QBH
3 75th
Coverage & Takeaways
PD
4 84th
INT
1 65th
Game Log · Week-by-week
2025 season · 11 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 19-3vs Bryant | 5 | 3 | 2.0 | 1.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 21-14vs Tulsa | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 3 | L 14-49@ Louisiana Tech | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | W 37-10vs Sam Houston | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 27-30@ Liberty | 3 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | L 17-24vs Missouri State | 7 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 | |
| Wk 10 | L 16-35@ Western Kentucky | 10 | 6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 21-24vs Kennesaw State | 5 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 12 | L 9-42@ Tennessee | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | W 34-31@ UTEP | 7 | 4 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 14 | L 24-31vs Middle Tennessee | 11 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Total | 68 | 34 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 1 | 4 |
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score
Traditional history
Traditional Stats
Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.
Season context · Team result + system
2023New Mexico State10-5HC: Jerry Kill · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025New Mexico State4-8HC: Tony Sanchez · Pass-leaning
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | New Mexico State | 68 | 34 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 4 | 1 | -- |
| 2023 | New Mexico State | 47 | 32 | 6.5 | 2.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 2 loaded seasons | 115 | 66 | 12.0 | 3.0 | 4 | 1 | -- |
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context
Advanced metrics second
Advanced Metrics
Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.
TFL, sacks, and QB hurries are grouped together because defensive Heisman cases are usually built on visible havoc, not on tackle counts alone.
Pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles matter because national awards voters respond to plays that change possessions and highlight reels.
Every percentile is compared against players at the same position and level, so an FBS quarterback is judged against FBS quarterbacks, not the whole sport.
The top tables stick to the stats fans already know from broadcasts and box scores. Advanced context is pushed underneath instead of replacing the basics.
Open full stat explorer
| Group | Metric | Value | Rank | Pct | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Total tackles | 68 | #293/4942 | 94th pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | TFL | 5.5 | #477/4972 | 90th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Sacks | 1.0 | #872/4972 | 82nd pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Interceptions | 1 | #308/869 | 65th pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Pass breakups | 4 | #340/2184 | 84th pct | Coveragevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | QB hurries | 3 | #462/1878 | 75th pct | Disruptionvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | Solo tackles | 34 | #386/4584 | 92nd pct | Volumevs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return avg | 23.0 | #169/578 | 71st pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
| Defense | INT return yards | 23 | #285/578 | 51st pct | Takeawaysvs FBS DEF |
Player Standing
Universal 17-step ladder. Tier pills below; accolade streams nested.
AWAITING CLASSIFICATION
On-team2-deepStartingRecognizedEliteApex
AWAITING CLASSIFICATION · Rung None of 16
Why he’s here
Standing classification populates when honors, Heisman, and roster signals all align.
What moves him up
What moves him down
Accolade streams
Status—Awaiting tracker
The Butkus award tracker integrates per-week probability once a dedicated scraper for this award lands. Confirmed past winners and finalists for this player will surface here.
Splits · Per-game
2025 season · 11 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home6g | 6.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.7 |
| Road5g | 6.4 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Win vs Loss
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wins4g | 5.0 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Losses7g | 6.9 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-74g | 5.2 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
| Weeks 8+7g | 6.7 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.4 |
Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.
Savant · Box-rate percentiles
Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort
72Solid starter
Elite: tackles (90th). Strength: solo tackles (86th).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Advanced Savant · LB · 2024
Percentile Card
Advanced opponent-adjusted percentile bars are coming soon for this player.
P4G5All FBS
Advanced Savant
Opponent-adjusted advanced metrics with a cohort filter.
Advanced opponent-adjusted metrics are coming soon for this player. Selected cohort: P4.
Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match
Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile
Sone AupiuNew Mexico StateBryce BoettcherOregon· 93% simAndon ThomasArmy· 91% simTrey FieldsNorth Texas· 90% sim
Tackles
Solo tackles
Passes defended
Tackles for loss
QB hurries
Sacks
Interceptions
Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.
Player DNA
The Coverage 'Backer
Carries tight ends and patrols the middle of the field in coverage.
LB
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Jeremiah Gemmel’s 2021 season.
Jeremiah Gemmel
85%match
#2
Tatum Bethune
NFL Rd 7
85%
#3
Tarique Barnes
83%
#4
JD Bertrand
NFL Rd 5
82%
#5
Ferrod Gardner
82%
Matches Jeremiah on
Sack rate
Weight
Tackle volume
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Xe'Ree Alexander's junior season at Washington (2025).
Xe'Ree Alexander
88%match
#2
Shemar James
NFL Rd 5
88%
#3
Johnathan Hall
87%
#4
Timmy Hinspeter
86%
#5
Kip Lewis
84%
Matches Xe'Ree on
TFL rate
Weight
Tackle volume
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Tony Sanchez
Pass share
57.4%
472 pass / 350 run
Plays / game
68.5
12 games
OL sack rate (allowed)
9.7%
359 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025
2 coaches2023
Jerry Kill
New Mexico State
2025era →
Tony Sanchez
New Mexico State
Coaching transition mid-career: Jerry Kill → Tony Sanchez. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster
Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.
HometownLong Beach, CA
Height6'1"
Weight225 lb
Class3
PositionLB
Jersey14
No fields populated yet.
No fields populated yet.
Current teamNew Mexico State
ConferenceConference USA
Joined2025
Career arc4 season(s)
Trophy Case · Detail
Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.
No formal honors on the ledger yet
All-America, all-conference, player-of-the-week, watch-list, and postseason awards land here when they're earned. The absence is the signal: most players never collect formal honors, and that's its own kind of context.
Honors Timeline
Season-end distinction and week-by-week recognition on one timeline.
| Season | Honor | Scope | Team / Selector | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No formal honors on the ledger yet. All-America, all-conference, weekly awards, watch lists, and postseason trophies land here when they’re earned. | ||||
Heisman By Year
Modeled rank and official finish by season.
| Season | Team | Role | Latest Model | Forecast | Win | Finalist | Official Finish | Points | Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | New Mexico State | LB3 | #15371 | #15507 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W16 snapshot | Conference USA |
| 2023 | New Mexico State | LB3 | #10642 | #10860 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W19 snapshot | Conference USA |
| 2022 | New Mexico State | LB3 | #11495 | #11334 | 0.0% | 0.0% | -- | -- | W20 snapshot | FBS Independents |
Roster Timeline
Team, conference, and class by season.
| Season | Team | Conference | Pos | Class | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | New Mexico State | Conference USA | LB | 3 | No. 14 | 6-1 | 225 lb | Long Beach, CA |
| 2024 | New Mexico State | Conference USA | LB | 3 | No. 14 | 6-1 | 225 lb | Long Beach, CA |
| 2023 | New Mexico State | Conference USA | LB | 3 | No. 14 | 6-1 | 225 lb | Long Beach, CA |
| 2022 | New Mexico State | FBS Independents | LB | 3 | No. 14 | 6-1 | 225 lb | Long Beach, CA |