Colorado defensive line coach Dante’ Carter came away from Tuesday’s presser with a player who had clearly forced his way into the conversation. That player was transfer defensive tackle Samu Taumanupepe, who has been one of the more unexpected standouts in fall camp after a rough spring.
Carter said the turnaround started with a blunt message at the end of spring ball. Taumanupepe took it, processed it, and came back looking like a different player.
“We call him ‘Little Mu,’” Carter said. “He took a big jump from the spring.
I’m super proud of that kid. We had an exit meeting, told him what it was and he applied the coaching.
He didn’t get in his feelings and just veer off or have a bad mindset coming back into fall camp. He applied everything we told him and now you can see it showing up on tape.”
That’s a pretty sharp about-face from where things stood in the spring, when Taumanupepe had very little production in Colorado’s spring game. Instead of letting that sit, he used the summer to work and has now put himself in position for a late push toward a meaningful role. For a player still trying to find his footing at the college level, that matters.
Taumanupepe’s path to Colorado has already included plenty of movement. He started at Texas A&M, where he was recruited out of Atascotia High School in Humble, Texas, as a three-star prospect according to 247Sports. He redshirted in 2023, then saw the field a few times in 2024, but it wasn’t the step forward he was chasing.
That led him into the transfer portal, and he stayed in Texas by landing at Baylor in 2025. The Bears gave up 2,366 rushing yards in 2025 because of shaky interior defensive line play, but Taumanupepe still wasn’t a major part of the rotation. He played as a reserve in six games and finished with just two total tackles.
After that, he looked beyond his home state and joined Colorado on Jan. 17, per 247Sports. Now the Buffaloes are the latest chance for him to turn promise into production.
There’s also a reunion waiting down the road. Because Taumanupepe transferred within the Big 12, he’ll be eligible to face Baylor in 2026 when Colorado opens conference play in Waco, Texas. He’ll be back in front of his former crowd, wearing different colors, with a chance to show the Bears what they passed on.
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