Utah tight end Semi Taulanga is your favorite college football player’s favorite college football player. His nickname is ‘Semi Truck’ for a reason.
He is an absolute unit!
The Utes could list Taulanga on both sides of the ball, like he was in high school, but they only used him on offense during his first season of college football in 2025. It looks like that trend will continue in 2026.
Who is Semi Taulanga?
As a native of Santa Ana, California, Taulanga played at Mater Dei High School. He was rated as a three-star prospect in the recruiting Class of 2025 and ranked as the No. 206 defensive lineman in the class.
BYU, Washington State, UCLA, UNLV, Houston and Pittsburgh were among the 12 programs to offer him a scholarship. However, nobody knew what position he was going to play.
Most people expected him to play on the offensive or defensive line. A majority of schools recruited Semi Taulanga as a three-technique, but he could just as easily play center or offensive guard if a team wanted to teach him. He knows how to use his hands and has multiple ways to win at the line of scrimmage. His technical abilities and maniacal effort would very easily translate to offense if he was given time to learn.
You could hear the collective “oooh” from the crowd every time he laid the lumber.
Big hit alert. Mater Dei’s Semi Taulanga with the hit stick. Ooh’s heard from the crowd pic.twitter.com/CCWtzs6wKc
— Max Torres (@mtorressports) November 18, 2023
Here’s another look. Good luck getting back up!
Big hit for Mater Dei’s Semi Taulanga. pic.twitter.com/fEuG8DFF1F
— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) November 18, 2023
Although Mater Dei primarily used Taulanga on defense, it also got him the ball as a pass-catcher. He caught a few touchdowns in high school.
Big man touchdown. Beierly to Semi Taulanga extends the Mater Dei lead over St. John Bosco to 45-0. 23 seconds to go in the half @ScoopDuckOn3 pic.twitter.com/gtyNKmdzxq
— Max Torres (@mtorressports) October 26, 2024
In the end, Taulanga committed to the University of Utah as a defensive tackle. That did not last long!
How big is Utah’s sophomore tight end?
The coaching staff in Salt Lake City recognized Semi Taulanga’s freakish athleticism as soon as he got to campus. They decided to move him to offense, but not as a center or guard — as a tight end.
Taulanga wore No. 99 on offense. Jamal Wallace wore No. 99 on defense. It was not a two-way situation.
The monstrous tight end finished his freshman season with only two catches, and both of them were against BYU, but he definitely stood out on the gridiron. It is not often that you see an offensive pass-catcher listed on the roster at 5-foot-11, ~320 pounds. Especially when he does not play on defense and is not an eligible tackle. You cannot miss him!
Semi Taulanga 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RjtGlZrpDC
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 19, 2025
Now, as Taulanga and the Utes turn their attention toward his sophomore season, it looks like the plan has not changed. He is once against listed as a tight end and only as a tight end. New offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven got him the ball in a recent scrimmage. Good luck trying to bring him down!
SEMI TRUCK 🚚 @SemiTaulanga pic.twitter.com/jvfONvny2r
— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) April 12, 2026
This might be a deep cut but Semi Taulanga reminds me of an even bigger Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala. The former Utah fullback was listed at 6-foot-0, ~270 pounds during his college career.
The Semi Truck has him beat by more than 30 pounds at one inch shorter. That’s a big dude…
I don’t know whether Utah will get their monstrous tight end more involved in the offense this season or if he will eventually move back to the line. We’ll see. Lets hope for the former.
Either way, Semi Taulanga is a name to watch in 2026. The Big 12 better prepare to tackle a bowling ball!