cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Ta'Avili Tuitama /New Mexico State

Ta'Avili Tuitama

DL · New Mexico State · Jr · #54

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

19 TACKLES · 2 SACKS

IN PORTALIn transfer portal — destination TBD (from New Mexico State)

In Portal · 2026

In transfer portal

2025New Mexico State
DestinationTBD

DL · NEW MEXICO STATE · CONFERENCE USA

Ta'Avili Tuitama

  • 3
  • #54
  • 6-2 | 306 lb
  • Mapusagafou

CFB Zeitgeist Score

54

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by sacks at the 80th percentile.

Heisman Heat

#15372

<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 DEFENSE AWARD

Nagurski

CONSENSUS

All-American

Player Standing · 17 rungs

Tier 2 · Starter

R05 · Part-time starter

Part-time starter. Splitting first-team reps.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
No recruit profile
CFB
College
New Mexico State
2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class3
Jersey54
Measurements6-2 | 306 lb
HometownMapusagafou
Primary teamNew Mexico State

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree Not on file No matched recruiting profile in the loaded archive
Composite rating -- Composite rating unavailable for this player
Signed with -- Commitment history unavailable
Origin -- Hometown and high school unavailable
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.

Portal moves 1 Programs changed on file
Latest destination -- 2026
Transfer stars -- CFBD transfer rating context
Eligibility Immediate Dec 31, 2025
Season Move Context
2026 New Mexico State -> -- Immediate

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#15372Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#15508Where 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.

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 Ta'Avili Tuitama

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 Ta'Avili Tuitama

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

projecting to 13-game
Through 10g
19Tackles
4Tackles for loss
2Sacks
Per game
2Tackles
0.4Tackles for loss
0.2Sacks
Projected (13g)
25Tackles
5.2Tackles for loss
2.6Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 19): needs 20.3/game over remaining 3.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 19): needs 27/game over remaining 3.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 2): needs 1.3/game over remaining 3.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 2): needs 2.7/game over remaining 3.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Ta'Avili Tuitama 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 2.0 sacks, 4.0 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 #15372 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Defensive rarity 2.0 sacks | 4.0 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 19 6 solo | #2072/4942 (58th pct)
TFL 4.0 Backfield disruption | #738/4972 (85th pct)
Sacks 2.0 Pass-rush finish | #491/4972 (90th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

High-disruption defender against FBS defenders.

High-disruption defender

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
19 58th
SOLO
6 43rd
TFL
4.0 85th
SACK
2.0 90th
QBH
3 75th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 10 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 19-3vs Bryant110.00.00
Wk 3L 14-49@ Louisiana Tech300.00.00
Wk 5L 20-38@ New Mexico100.00.00
Wk 6W 37-10vs Sam Houston000.00.00
Wk 8L 27-30@ Liberty210.00.00
Wk 9L 17-24vs Missouri State301.01.00
Wk 10L 16-35@ Western Kentucky221.00.00
Wk 11L 21-24vs Kennesaw State200.00.00
Wk 12L 9-42@ Tennessee100.00.00
Wk 13W 34-31@ UTEP422.01.00Season-high 4 tackles
Total1964.02.00
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

2025New Mexico State4-8HC: Tony Sanchez · Pass-leaning
SeasonTeam
2025New Mexico State1964.02.0------
Career1 loaded season1964.02.0------
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 0 Coverage disruption
QB pressures 3 Quarterback hurries | #462/1878 (75th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 19 #2072/4942 58th pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 4.0 #738/4972 85th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 2.0 #491/4972 90th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 3 #462/1878 75th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 6 #2592/4584 43rd 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 Lombardi 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 · 10 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home4g1.50.20.20.0
Road6g2.20.50.20.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins3g1.70.70.30.0
Losses7g2.00.30.10.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-74g1.20.00.00.0
Weeks 8+6g2.30.70.30.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

54Mid-pack
6 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: qb hurries (81st). Concern: solo tackles (11th).

QB hurries#457 / 2975 · 82nd pct
3defe
Sacks#487 / 2975 · 80th pct
2.0defe
Tackles for loss#736 / 2975 · 73rd pct
4.0defe
Tackles#2072 / 2975 · 29th pct
19defe
Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct
0defe
Solo tackles#2560 / 2975 · 12th pct
6defe

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Advanced Savant · DL · 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
Ta'Avili TuitamaNew Mexico StateMarcAnthony ParkerNavy· 55% simMicah DaveyUTEP· 53% simEthan WesloskiNorth Texas· 53% sim
QB hurries
82
Tuitama
88
Parker
82
Davey
95
Wesloski
Sacks
80
Tuitama
80
Parker
63
Davey
74
Wesloski
Tackles for loss
73
Tuitama
87
Parker
91
Davey
95
Wesloski
Tackles
29
Tuitama
98
Parker
99
Davey
99
Wesloski
Passes defended
18
Tuitama
18
Parker
18
Davey
18
Wesloski
Solo tackles
12
Tuitama
96
Parker
99
Davey
99
Wesloski

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

Player DNA

The Two-Gap Base

Stout at the point of attack; controls his gap and stacks blocks.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Allan Haye’s 2023 season.

Allan Haye

90%match

Temple · 2023

#2

Jerron Cage

Ohio State · 2022

89%
#3

Na'im Rodman

Colorado · 2021

89%
#4

Aaron Faumui

Virginia · 2022

88%
#5

Billy Wooden

Massachusetts · 2023

88%

Matches Allan on

Weight
Height
Sack rate

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Anthony Holmes Jr.'s sophomore season at Houston (2023).

Anthony Holmes Jr.

85%match

Houston · 2023

#2

Jalen Carter

Georgia · 2021

Consensus All-AmericanNFL Rd 1 · Pk 9
83%
#3

Jamall Hickbottom

South Alabama · 2021

83%
#4

Allan Haye

Temple · 2023

82%
#5

Elgin Griffin

Troy · 2021

82%

Matches Anthony on

Class year
Weight
TFL rate

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

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 · 2025

1 coach
2025
Tony Sanchez
New Mexico State

Played his entire career under Tony Sanchez.

Bio · Recruiting · Transfer · Roster

Off-field context — switch tabs to drill into recruit profile, transfer arc, or roster timeline.

HometownMapusagafou
Height6'2"
Weight306 lb
Class3
PositionDL
Jersey54

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 New Mexico State DL3 #15372 #15508 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | Conference USA

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 New Mexico State Conference USA DL 3 No. 54 | 6-2 | 306 lb | Mapusagafou
2024 New Mexico State Conference USA DL 3 No. 54 | 6-2 | 306 lb | Mapusagafou