Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
3 4 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M That sense of family obligation goes back to his childhood. At an age when most kids start to take up organized sports, Taupaki was helping his father with work. He n eve r t h e l e ss d e - veloped into a consensus three-star prospect coming out of Oakland High and headed to UCLA in 2019, the second year of the Chip Kelly coaching era. At first, Taupaki had doubts about whether he belonged at that level of football. Dur- ing a gathering at Malloe's house early in his career, he listened to some of his older teammates talk about their NFL ambitions and won- dered aloud whether he fit in with play- ers who aspired to such heights. Malloe didn't want to hear it. "One of these days, you're going to have more confidence in yourself than me," he told the young lineman. "I can't have the expectations for you." Taupaki ended up having a longer tenure in Westwood than Kelly did. While the veteran offensive guru was out after six seasons, Taupaki lasted seven. How? By redshirting as a true fresh- man, then gaining a bonus year due to his participation in the COVID- shortened 2020 season. He went on to miss all but t w o g a m e s d u r i n g t h e 2021 and '22 c a m p a i g n s due to inju- ries, receiv- i n g m e d i ca l waivers that left him with four seasons o f e l i g i b i l - ity even after he'd spent four years in college. Taupaki switched sides and played seven games as a backup offensive line- man in 2023, but he was back on defense the following year. He played in all 24 Taupaki came to Penn State in January after an injury-plagued seven-year tenure at UCLA in which he made 38 tackles in 40 game appearances. PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS "While everybody else is trying to buy the next [piece of jewelry] or buy the next car, I'm just trying to fill in all the holes that I have back at home, understanding the platform that I have and how far I came. I really try to take full advantage of the opportunity, because I come from nothing." T A U P A K I