#28

Sione Vaki

Former safety at Utah. 2023: 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 50 tackles.

S · Utah · So. · #28

6′0″ · 208 lb · Antioch, CA

CFB Index 65 · #135 of 538 safetiesMedium confidenceAll-Conf 1st teamDetroit — drafted 2024, Rd 4, Pick 32, #132 overall

Recruiting

3★

S recruit

No. 889 nationally · Signed with Utah

No college snaps yet.

His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former safety at Utah. 2023: 1 interception, 2 pass breakups, 50 tackles.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Utah in 2019.
Drafted round 4 by the Detroit in 2024.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Two seasons at Utah, 76 tackles, a first-team All-Conference season (2023) — drafted at #132 overall by Detroit.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2019

Signed with Utah3-star out of Liberty

202312 games

All-Pac-12First Team

2024

Drafted by Detroitround 4, pick 132

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#889 national

CFB

College

Utah

2022–2023

NFL

NFL Draft

R4 · #132

Detroit · 2024

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🥈

ALL-PAC-12 · 1ST TEAM

All-Pac-12 1st team (2023)

Where He Ended Up · NFL

DetroitEntering 3rd NFL season

#132Rd 4 · Pick 32

DetroitEntering 3rd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2023 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2 seasons under Kyle Whittingham — 18-9 over that span.

2022Utah10-4HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning

2023Utah8-5HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

65Quality starter #135 of 538?

Medium confidence8 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: forced fumbles (96th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (93rd percentile). Concern: qb hurries (24th percentile).

Box-score production (8)

Forced fumbles#4 / 710 · 96th pct

Tackles for loss#176 / 2842 · 93rd pct

8.5

Solo tackles#292 / 2842 · 89th pct

Tackles#583 / 2842 · 79th pct

Sacks#517 / 2842 · 78th pct

2.0

Passes defended#744 / 2842 · 67th pct

Interceptions#323 / 827 · 31st pct

QB hurries#1486 / 2842 · 24th pct

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 & context

Splits · Per-game

2023 season · 12 games

Home/Road · Season halves

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

2026 season

Head Coach

Morgan Scalley

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2023

All-Conference 1st team

First team in his league at the position.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

65 · #135 of 538 safeties

Three-star recruit. Now #135 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2023	Utah	50	37	8.5	2.0	2	1	1
2022	Utah	26	22	2.5	0.0	3	--	--
Career		76	59	11.0	2.0	5	1	1

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 4 · 2023

W 14–7

vs UCLA

9 TOT · 5 SOLO · 1 SACKS

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 7 at home.

With J. Bouwmeester — 44 AVG · 6 IN 20 · 54 LONG · N. Johnson — 117 yds · 1 TD · 0 INT · QBR 35.4 · 2 rush yds (14 car)

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2023 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

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 UCLA	9	5	2.0	1.0	—	0	Season-high 9 tackles
Wk 5	L 7-21@ 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@ USC	2	2	0.0	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	L 6-35vs 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@ Washington	4	4	1.0	1.0	—	1
Wk 12	L 18-42@ 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

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology