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football Edit

Aggies sign massive defensive tackle

Texas A&M got their dose of interior size Monday when the signing of massive defensive tackle Samu Taumanupepe was officially announced.

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Chose A&M over: Texas, Texas Tech, TCU, Miami and Oregon, among others

Tamumanupepe didn't waste much time when it came to committing once he had an Aggie offer. Within 48 hours, he was in the fold and hasn't budged since. Then again, budging him is no easy task, as he weighs nearly 400 pounds and can handle double teams with ease.

Projected 2023 role: Backup defensive tackle

Film study

There aren't many players around like Taumanupepe. When you look at the Aggies, you may be looking back at someone like Sam Adams when he comes to sheer size in the middle. This guy is absolutely massive.

But there's a difference between being big and being big with talent. Taumanupepe is definitely the latter. He's not just a bull in a China shop, he's knocking down all the doors on the way out. He's immovable at the point of attack and unstoppable once he gets moving.

Taumanupepe is somewhere between 360 and 390 pounds, but it's not like it's all in his gut. He has tremendous lower body strength, and that allows him to just bully opposing linemen. At the high school level (a 6A playoff team), he's unblockable. He shreds double teams and pushes his way back into the backfield.

If Taumanupepe gets leverage, it's over. He's either going through the opponent or the's not being moved. He's just took big and too strong.

There's not much subtlety to his game, even though he has a good swim move. He's just going to take up blockers and, frequently, consume them. He's got a lot of technical things to work on and he'll probably slim down 20 to 30 pounds once he gets to campus, but when you put him in the middle next to someone like Shemar Turner or Walter Nolen, try running up the gut. Please. Players like Taumanupepe are extremely unique and are a great antidote to the SEC running game.

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