Senior defensive lineman on Fresno State's 2026 roster.
6′3″ · 278 lb · Maricopa, AZ · Higley HS
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
sacks · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2 tackles, at San José State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Senior defensive lineman on Fresno State's 2026 roster.
Merhauti Xepera
Disrupts the pocket from the interior. Merhauti Xepera has played for three head coaches in five seasons at Fresno State. The receipt on tape: 2 tackles against San José State, Week 3, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 0 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
3 coachesPlayed under 3 different head coaches: Jeff Tedford, Tim Skipper, and Matt Entz. Multi-era developmental context.
| Season | Team | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Fresno State | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2025 | Fresno State | 24 | 11 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
| 2024 | Fresno State | 2 | -- | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2023 | Fresno State | 7 | 6 | 1.5 | 0.0 | -- | -- | -- |
| 2022 | Fresno State | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Career | 37 | 19 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 1 | -- | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-39@ USC | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 49-3vs Sacramento State | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 26-10@ San José State | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 2 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 26–10
2 tackles · 1 solo tackles
With N. Verdugo — 40.9 yards per punt · 7 punts · 4 inside the 20 · J. Mandal — 186 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 52.3 · 46 rush yds (9 car)
Since week 2: +2 tackles.
Season context · Team result + system
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Concern: tackles (0th 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
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home1g | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Road2g | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Matt Entz
Pass share
42.7%
73 pass / 98 run
Plays / game
57.0
3 games
Team sack rate
4.9%
81 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2025
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Production · CFB Index Score
Three-star recruit. Now #300 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Pac-12
Based on 2025: #21 of 35 Mountain West DLs — his program moves to the Pac-12 for 2026
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player. The base rate was measured on players who stayed in the same conference; this estimate is not adjusted for the move to the Pac-12.
Play style
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Disruptive interior rusher who lives in the backfield.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Marcus Moore’s 2021 season.
Matches Marcus on
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Deante McCray's senior season at Florida State (2025).
Matches Deante on
Xepera's Fresno State journey leads to first-generation graduate milestone 2025 (JUNIOR): Appeared in all 13 games this season … started in five … had 28 tackles … added 6.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, one forced fumble, three quarterback hurries and three pass breakups … had a career-high seven tackles…
14 more on the roster · Fresno State team page