Penn State’s Siale Taupaki explains why he is ‘broke’ in his eighth season

Penn State’s Siale Taupaki explains why he is ‘broke’ in his eighth season

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Penn State’s Siale Taupaki explains why he is ‘broke’ in his eighth season

Siale Taupaki made his Penn State debut in Saturday’s 45-0 win over Marshall, recording one assisted tackle in the first game of his eighth college football season. The defensive tackle played seven seasons at UCLA, and the rare extra eligibility came from the COVID-19 season plus a pair of medical waivers.

Taupaki is one of 10 children from East Oakland, Calif., and his family spent four years unhoused after an eviction when he was in seventh grade, first with relatives and then in a run of Oakland-area hotels. He told reporters at Beaver Stadium on Tuesday that at one point, 22 family members were living in a two-bedroom house.

“Some of us had to sleep outside,” Taupaki said.

His name, image and likeness income now goes back to those same people.

“My parents are still struggling,” Taupaki said. “I’m broke. I’m really just trying to fill in all the holes that I have back at home, understanding the platform that I’m having, and just seeing all of that stuff and understanding how far I came.”

Nov 16, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; General view of a Penn State Nittany Lions helmet prior to the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 16, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; General view of a Penn State Nittany Lions helmet prior to the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

One of those holes is the internet at his parents’ home in California. Kolo and Seilose Taupaki watched the Marshall game through a connection their son pays for.

“We don’t watch a lot of TV back at home,” Taupaki said. “We just work and rest, and that’s about it. But aside from that, I was glad that they [were] able to see it for themselves.”

 

The first question Matt Campbell asked sold Taupaki on Penn State

Taupaki said a phone call with first-year coach Matt Campbell during his time in the transfer portal settled the move east.

“Not a lot of people asked for my family or everyone else that came with me,” Taupaki said. “He asked specifically, how was my mom, how was my dad. With that, I knew he was a family man, then he was a football coach. So from there, I knew I could come to him about anything because he’s a father before he was a coach.”

The move also put him across the country from his parents, and Taupaki said they are too old to fly. After the Marshall game, he called home and described a game-day scene that included cows and horses, something he said you do not see much on the West Coast.

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Dec 8, 2025; University Park, PA, USA; Matt Campbell answers questions from the media after being announced as the Penn State Nittany Lions new head coach during a press conference at the Beaver Stadium Press Room. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

“I told them [Beaver Stadium] is bigger and better,” Taupaki said. “That’s it. My pops told me that he had the chills just hearing about it, because he can visualize in the game.”

He closed Tuesday’s session by shaking every reporter’s hand on his way out of the room.

 

Penn State will play its first road game on Saturday at Temple, with kickoff set for noon ET on ESPN2 from Lincoln Financial Field.

The post Penn State’s Siale Taupaki explains why he is ‘broke’ in his eighth season appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

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