cfb zeitgeistZeitgeist
OFFSEASON · SUMMER 2026 · COMMITMENT SEASON
Heisman / Players / Tiaoalil Savea /Arizona

Tiaoalil Savea

DL · Arizona · Sr · #97

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

30 TACKLES · 0.5 SACKS

2026 RETURNINGReturning to Arizona for 2026

2026 Outlook

Returning to Arizona for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Defensive line · Arizona

Returning around him

  • 56% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
  • 4 Arizona players drafted to NFL
  • Transfer portal: +2 net (22 in / 20 out)

2026 Award watch

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

Arizona · Last season: 9-4 (AP #21) · Talent rank #67 · 2026 recruiting class #50

DL · ARIZONA · BIG 12

Tiaoalil Savea

  • 4
  • #97
  • 6-4 | 310 lb
  • Las Vegas, NV

CFB Zeitgeist Score

47

Mid-pack in the position cohort. Carried by tackles for loss at the 63rd percentile.

Heisman Heat

#2890

<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

R06 · Starter

Starter. A locked-in starting role.

Not on team2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Career Arc

HS
Recruit
★★★★
#226 national
CFB
College
3 teams
2021–2025
NFL
NFL Draft
Not drafted (yet)

Identity & Role

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

PositionDL
Class4
Jersey97
Measurements6-4 | 310 lb
HometownLas Vegas, NV
Primary teamArizona

Recruiting Pedigree

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

Top pedigree 4-star No. 226 recruit
Composite rating 0.9161 HighSchool
Signed with UCLA 2021
Origin Desert Pines Las Vegas, NV, USA
Class Profile Context
2021 4-star | 0.9161 No. 226 recruit | HighSchool | UCLA

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#2890Latest modeled ballot order
Season forecast#2610Where 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 UCLA

Composite

0.9161

#226 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 Tiaoalil Savea

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 Tiaoalil Savea

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 9g
30Tackles
3Tackles for loss
0.5Sacks
Per game
3Tackles
0.3Tackles for loss
0.1Sacks
Projected (13g)
43Tackles
4.3Tackles for loss
0.7Sacks

To hit 80-tackle season (currently 30): needs 12.5/game over remaining 4.

To hit 100-tackle season (currently 30): needs 17.5/game over remaining 4.

To hit 6-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 1.4/game over remaining 4.

To hit 10-sack season (currently 0.5): needs 2.4/game over remaining 4.

Why this is a rare defensive case

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

Tiaoalil Savea is trying to climb the steepest award hill in college football: a defensive candidacy. The hook is the disruption profile on Arizona's defense, with 0.5 sacks, 3.0 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 #2890 0.0% win | 0.0% finalist
Role load -- Role share still loading
Profile quirk Blue-chip pedigree No. 226 recruit

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 30 7 solo | #1362/4942 (72nd pct)
TFL 3.0 Backfield disruption | #1006/4972 (80th pct)
Sacks 0.5 Pass-rush finish | #1501/4972 (70th pct)
Player identity What kind of player is this?

30-second read

What kind of player is this?

Defensive contributor against FBS defenders.

Balanced profile

2025 Season · Final

2025 season snapshot | final

Tackling & Disruption

TOT
30 72nd
SOLO
7 48th
TFL
3.0 80th
SACK
0.5 70th
QBH
2 66th

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 9 games

Box score · CFBD
WkOppTKLSOLOTFLSACKINTPDNote
Wk 1W 40-6vs Hawai'i200.00.00
Wk 2W 48-3vs Weber State210.00.00
Wk 3W 23-17vs Kansas State200.00.00
Wk 5L 14-39@ Iowa State421.00.00
Wk 6W 41-13vs Oklahoma State210.50.00
Wk 7L 27-33vs BYU620.50.00Season-high 6 tackles
Wk 8L 28-31@ Houston410.50.00
Wk 10W 52-17@ Colorado400.50.50
Wk 11W 24-20vs Kansas400.00.00
Total3073.00.50
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

2021UCLA8-4HC: Chip Kelly · Run-heavy
2022Arizona5-7HC: Jedd Fisch · Pass-leaning
2023Arizona10-3HC: Jedd Fisch · Balanced
2024Texas13-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · Balanced, fast tempo
2025Arizona9-4HC: Brent Brennan · Balanced
SeasonTeam
2025Arizona3073.00.5------
2024Texas421.00.0------
2023Arizona2165.51.5------
2022Arizona1481.50.01----
2021UCLA740.00.01----
Career5 loaded seasons762711.02.02----
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 2 Quarterback hurries | #647/1878 (66th pct)
Open full stat explorer
0 metrics visible Showing all metrics
Group Metric Value Rank Pct Why it matters
Defense Total tackles 30 #1362/4942 72nd pct Volumevs FBS DEF
Defense TFL 3.0 #1006/4972 80th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Sacks 0.5 #1501/4972 70th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense QB hurries 2 #647/1878 66th pct Disruptionvs FBS DEF
Defense Solo tackles 7 #2403/4584 48th 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 · 9 games

Home/Road · Win/Loss · Season halves

Home vs Road

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Home6g3.00.20.00.0
Road3g4.00.70.20.0

Win vs Loss

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Wins6g2.70.20.10.0
Losses3g4.70.70.00.0

First half vs Second half

TKL/gTFL/gSACK/gPD/g
Weeks 1-76g3.00.30.00.0
Weeks 8+3g4.00.30.20.0

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

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the DL cohort

47Mid-pack
6 metrics · season cumulative

Concern: solo tackles (16th).

QB hurries#634 / 2975 · 72nd pct
2defe
Tackles for loss#1001 / 2975 · 63rd pct
3.0defe
Tackles#1362 / 2975 · 53rd pct
30defe
Sacks#1367 / 2975 · 51st pct
0.5defe
Passes defended#1916 / 2975 · 18th pct
0defe
Solo tackles#2397 / 2975 · 17th pct
7defe

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
Tiaoalil SaveaArizonaMicah DaveyUTEP· 59% simMarcAnthony ParkerNavy· 59% simDaniel WingateMaryland· 57% sim
QB hurries
72
Savea
82
Davey
88
Parker
72
Wingate
Tackles for loss
63
Savea
91
Davey
87
Parker
87
Wingate
Tackles
53
Savea
99
Davey
98
Parker
98
Wingate
Sacks
51
Savea
63
Davey
80
Parker
74
Wingate
Passes defended
18
Savea
18
Davey
18
Parker
48
Wingate
Solo tackles
17
Savea
99
Davey
96
Parker
99
Wingate

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

Player DNA

The Nose Anchor

Two-gap space-eater who occupies blockers and frees the linebackers.

IDL

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Tiaoalil Savea’s 2022 season.

Tiaoalil Savea

90%match

Arizona · 2022

#2

Keveion'ta Spears

Louisiana Tech · 2022

90%
#3

Damon Payne Jr.

Michigan · 2025

88%
#4

Alfred Collins

Texas · 2024

NFL Rd 2 · Pk 11
88%
#5

Jay Kakiva

San José State · 2022

87%

Matches Tiaoalil on

TFL rate
Weight
Height

Not enough data yet for this comparison.

As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to C.J. Clark's graduate season at Miami (2024).

C.J. Clark

88%match

Miami · 2024

#2

Rayshaun Benny

Michigan · 2025

All-Big TenNFL Rd 7
86%
#3

Alfred Collins

Texas · 2024

NFL Rd 2 · Pk 11
86%
#4

Naejuan Barber

Florida Atlantic · 2025

85%
#5

Aliki Vimahi

Utah · 2025

83%

Matches C.J. on

Class year
TFL rate
Weight

Supporting Cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2025 season

Head Coach

Brent Brennan

Pass share

49.7%

447 pass / 452 run

Plays / game

69.2

13 games

OL sack rate (allowed)

7.9%

340 dropbacks · PBP

Scheme: Balanced.

Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025

2 coaches
2021
Jedd Fisch
Arizona
2022
Jedd Fisch
Arizona
2023
Jedd Fisch
Arizona
2024
Brent Brennan
Arizona
era →
2025
Brent Brennan
Arizona

Coaching transition mid-career: Jedd Fisch → Brent Brennan. 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.

HometownLas Vegas, NV
Height6'4"
Weight310 lb
Class4
PositionDL
Jersey97

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 Texas DL4 #2890 #2610 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W16 snapshot | SEC
2023 Arizona DL4 #5459 #5989 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W19 snapshot | Pac-12
2022 Arizona DL4 #13041 #13207 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Pac-12
2021 UCLA DL4 #10460 #10330 0.0% 0.0% -- -- W20 snapshot | Pac-12

Roster Timeline

Team, conference, and class by season.

Season Team Conference Pos Class Bio
2025 Arizona Big 12 DL 4 No. 97 | 6-4 | 310 lb | Las Vegas, NV
2024 Texas SEC DL 4 No. 97 | 6-4 | 310 lb | Las Vegas, NV
2023 Arizona Pac-12 DL 4 No. 97 | 6-4 | 310 lb | Las Vegas, NV
2022 Arizona Pac-12 DL 4 No. 97 | 6-4 | 310 lb | Las Vegas, NV
2021 UCLA Pac-12 DL 4 No. 97 | 6-4 | 310 lb | Las Vegas, NV