cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu /UNLV

Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu

LB · UNLV · So · #15

Below the discourse floor — the honest stats-only state.

61 TACKLES · 0 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to UNLV for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to UNLV for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Linebacker · UNLV

Returning around him

  • 15% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
  • Transfer portal: +0 net (15 in / 15 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

UNLV · Last season: 10-4 · Talent rank #51 · 2026 recruiting class #95

LB · UNLV · MOUNTAIN WEST

Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu

  • 2
  • #15
  • 6-1 | 220 lb
  • Kalihi, HI

CFB Zeitgeist Score

58

Solid starter in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 80th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#9814

<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 · Starter

R06 · Starter

Starter. A locked-in starting role.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★
#2251 national
CFB
College
UNLV
2023–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

The durable bio layer: position, size, hometown, and roster role.

PositionLB
Class2
Jersey15
Measurements6-1 | 220 lb
HometownKalihi, HI
Primary teamUNLV

Recruiting Pedigree

How big the prospect was before college, and whether the later career arc beat that expectation.

Top pedigree 3-star No. 2251 recruit
Composite rating 0.8022 HighSchool
Signed with UNLV 2023
Origin James Campbell Ewa Beach, HI, USA
Class Profile Context
2023 3-star | 0.8022 No. 2251 recruit | HighSchool | UNLV

Transfer Arc

Portal movement changes role, context, and perception. This keeps that path in one place.

Portal moves 0 No portal entry on file
Latest destination -- --
Transfer stars -- CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility -- Transfer date TBD
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 16
Current nowcast#9814Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#9433Where the full season sim points
Win probability0.0%Chance to actually win the trophy
Finalist probability0.0%Chance to make the finalist tier
Ballot probability0.0%Chance to appear anywhere on a ballot
Best official finish--Best completed Heisman placement on file

Heisman 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.

NIL · Recruiting · NFL Draft

Market value, pedigree & pro outcome

Recruit stars

★★★☆☆

to UNLV

Composite

0.8022

#2251 national

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

PENDING

The 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 Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu

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 Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu

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.

A 3-act season arc returns once this player has six or more games on the ledger.

Season Pace · Projection

Where the defensive totals stand

final
Through 13g
61Tackles
5Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Per game
5Tackles
0.4Tackles for loss
0Sacks
Final
61Tackles
5Tackles for loss
0Sacks

Why this is a rare defensive case

The fast read on the thing that makes this player more than a generic stat line.

Blesyng Alualu-Tuiolemotu is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on UNLV's defense, with 0.0 sacks, 5.0 tackles for loss, and -- 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.

Current place #9814 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 0.0 sacks | 5.0 TFL

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
Total tackles 61 27 solo | #387/4942 (92nd pct)
TFL 5.0 Backfield disruption | #553/4972 (89th pct)
Sacks 0.0 Pass-rush finish | #1762/4972 (65th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-disruption defender | High-volume tackler against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defenderHigh-volume tackler

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
61 92nd
SOLO
27 86th
TFL
5.0 89th
SACK
0.0 65th
QBH
1 44th

Coverage & Takeaways

PD
1 43rd

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 38-31vs Idaho State620.50.00
Wk 1W 38-21@ Sam Houston321.00.00
Wk 2W 30-23vs UCLA830.50.01
Wk 4W 41-38@ Miami (OH)211.00.00
Wk 6W 31-17@ Wyoming100.00.00
Wk 8L 31-56@ Boise State220.00.00
Wk 10L 35-40vs New Mexico420.50.00
Wk 11W 42-10@ Colorado State1040.50.00Season-high 10 tackles
Wk 12W 29-26vs Utah State620.00.00
Wk 13W 38-10vs Hawai'i530.00.00
Wk 14W 42-17@ Nevada531.00.00
Wk 15L 21-38@ Boise State500.00.00
BowlL 10-17@ Ohio430.00.00
Total61275.00.01
Season-by-season tables Career rows + per-season box score

Traditional history

Traditional Stats

Season rows up top, career context at the bottom.

Season rows Career row

Season context · Team result + system

2023UNLV9-5HC: Barry Odom · Run-leaning
2024UNLV11-3HC: Barry Odom · Run-heavy
2025UNLV10-4HC: Dan Mullen · Run-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025UNLV61275.00.01----
2024UNLV850.00.0------
2023UNLV420.00.0------
Career3 loaded seasons73345.00.01----
Advanced layer Usage, value, and context

Advanced metrics second

Advanced Metrics

Usage, value, and opponent-adjusted context.

Usage Value Context
Disruption stats

TFL, sacks, and QB hurries are grouped together because defensive Heisman cases are usually built on visible havoc, not on tackle counts alone.

Coverage splash

Pass breakups, interceptions, and forced fumbles matter because national awards voters respond to plays that change possessions and highlight reels.

Peer percentile

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.

Traditional first

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.

INT -- -- pick-six TD
Pass breakups 1 Coverage disruption | #1241/2184 (43rd pct)
QB pressures 1 Quarterback hurries | #1051/1878 (44th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 61 #387/4942 92nd pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 5.0 #553/4972 89th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.0 #1762/4972 65th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Pass breakups 1 #1241/2184 43rd pct Coveragevs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 1 #1051/1878 44th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 27 #649/4584 86th pct Volumevs 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

StatusAwaiting 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 · 13 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home5g5.80.30.00.2
Road8g4.00.40.00.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins9g5.10.50.00.1
Losses4g3.80.10.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g4.00.50.00.2
Weeks 8+7g5.30.30.00.0

Pocket and defense-quality (clean vs. pressure) splits are coming soon.

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the LB cohort

58Solid starter
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: tackles (86th). Concern: sacks (23rd).

Tackles#387 / 2975 · 87th pct
61defe
Tackles for loss#553 / 2975 · 80th pct
5.0defe
Solo tackles#649 / 2975 · 77th pct
27defe
QB hurries#1007 / 2975 · 55th pct
1defe
Passes defended#1191 / 2975 · 48th pct
1defe
Sacks#1575 / 2975 · 24th pct
0.0defe

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
EPA / dropback
awaiting
CPOE
awaiting
Success rate
awaiting
Explosive rate (20+)
awaiting
aDOT
awaiting
Deep-ball accuracy
awaiting
Pressure-to-sack
awaiting
3rd-down EPA
awaiting
Red-zone TD rate
awaiting
Play-action EPA
awaiting
Scramble EPA
awaiting
Turnover-worthy play rate
awaiting

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

3 peers · 6 metrics
Blesyng Alualu-TuiolemotuUNLVTy BenefieldBoise State· 83% simTyler MartinMassachusetts· 82% simRobert FitzgeraldNorthwestern· 81% sim
Tackles
87
Alualu-Tuiolemotu
99
Benefield
98
Martin
99
Fitzgerald
Tackles for loss
80
Alualu-Tuiolemotu
94
Benefield
63
Martin
85
Fitzgerald
Solo tackles
77
Alualu-Tuiolemotu
100
Benefield
87
Martin
100
Fitzgerald
QB hurries
55
Alualu-Tuiolemotu
55
Benefield
22
Martin
55
Fitzgerald
Passes defended
48
Alualu-Tuiolemotu
78
Benefield
67
Martin
86
Fitzgerald
Sacks
24
Alualu-Tuiolemotu
24
Benefield
24
Martin
24
Fitzgerald

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.

Player DNA

The Balanced Linebacker

Solid in every phase without a signature dimension.

LB

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Ty'Anthony Smith’s 2025 season.

Ty'Anthony Smith

87%match

Texas · 2025

#2

Xe'Ree Alexander

UCF · 2024

84%
#3

Kip Lewis

Oklahoma · 2024

84%
#4

DJ Johnson Jr.

East Carolina · 2025

81%
#5

Cooper Catalano

Wisconsin · 2025

81%

Matches Ty'Anthony on

PD rate
Tackle volume
TFL rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to DJ Johnson Jr.'s junior season at East Carolina (2025).

DJ Johnson Jr.

88%match

East Carolina · 2025

#2

Derrell Farrar

Liberty · 2025

81%
#3

Jaylen Jones

Georgia State · 2025

81%
#4

Malcolm Mccain

Miami (OH) · 2025

79%
#5

Sherrod Greene

South Carolina · 2022

79%

Matches DJ on

TFL rate
Tackle volume
Sack rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Dan Mullen

Pass share

46.5%

423 pass / 487 run

Plays / game

65.0

14 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

7.8%

283 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Run-leaning.

Coaching Lineage · 2023–2025

2 coaches
2023
Barry Odom
UNLV
2024
Barry Odom
UNLV
2025
Dan Mullen
UNLV
era →

Coaching transition mid-career: Barry Odom → Dan Mullen. 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.

HometownKalihi, HI
Height6'1"
Weight220 lb
Class2
PositionLB
Jersey15

Trophy Case · Detail

Every honor on the ledger, broken out by stream and selector.

Honors

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 UNLV LB2 #9814 #9433 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Mountain West
2023 UNLV LB2 #14033 #13775 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Mountain West

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 UNLV Mountain West LB 2 No. 15 | 6-1 | 220 lb | Kalihi, HI
2024 UNLV Mountain West LB 2 No. 15 | 6-1 | 220 lb | Kalihi, HI
2023 UNLV Mountain West LB 2 No. 15 | 6-1 | 220 lb | Kalihi, HI