For some, college football is a stepping stone to the NFL. For others, it brings recognition. But for Penn State defensive tackle Siale Taupaki, it meant something far greater: a chance to lift his family out of poverty and change their lives forever.
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While speaking with the media, the 25-year-old defensive tackle revealed just how precarious things are back home.
“My parents are still struggling,” Taupaki, 25, said Tuesday, per Bleacher Report. “I’m broke, so while everybody else is still trying to buy their next pendant or buy their next car, I’m really just trying to fill in all the holes that I have back at home.”
Long before football became his escape, Taupaki knew what hardship actually looked like. After his family relocated from Tonga to California, overcrowding became a part of his everyday life.
As many as 22 of his relatives were packed into a two-bedroom home, with some left sleeping outdoors. Taupaki witnessed his parents devote their lives almost entirely to work, which is why he now sees football as more than just a game. It’s everything to him.
“I really try to take advantage and take full advantage of the opportunity that I can with the platform because I come from nothing,” he said. “When I go home, I’m not even a football player. I’m still a son, so everything that I’ve got to do beforehand and [after], I’ve got to do it based on my parents.”
Taupaki’s collegiate journey began in 2019 when he committed to UCLA, but his six years with the Bruins were anything but ordinary. A redshirt year in his freshman year, a COVID-era NCAA eligibility waiver in 2020, and two devastating right-foot fractures stretched his career in 2023-2024.
After missing nearly two full seasons because of surgeries and injuries, Taupaki finally returned to full health, breaking out in 2024 before playing 12 games in 2025. He then made the decision to enter the transfer portal and join Penn State after a brief conversation with head coach Matt Campbell, whose gesture touched Taupaki’s heart.
“I was sold because not a lot of people ask for my family or everyone else that came with me,” Taupaki said. “He asked me, ‘How was my mom? How was my dad?’ And 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.”
After joining Penn State, Taupaki promised to give everything he had to take the program to new heights, not only for Matt Campbell but also to prove his worth ahead of the 2027 NFL Draft, as this will be the final year of his collegiate career.
Siale Taupaki’s Penn State debut was successful
Taupaki wore a Penn State jersey for the first time against Marshall on Saturday. Although he has played just one game for the Nittany Lions, he has already made his presence felt, helping Penn State cruise to a dominant 45-0 victory.
Miles away from home, Taupaki’s parents couldn’t watch him play in person. But he wanted them to witness his success from Beaver Stadium, which is why he paid for internet access so they could watch him take the field and celebrate the victory.
“We don’t watch a lot of TV back at home,” Taupaki said Tuesday. “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.”
After the game, he immediately called his family and excitedly told them about the game-day atmosphere in Happy Valley. Like a kid speaking to his father, Taupaki shared his excitement about seeing cows and horses.
“You don’t see that a lot on the West Coast,” Taupaki said. “I told them [Beaver Stadium] is bigger and better. That’s it. My pops told me that he had the chills just hearing about it, because he can visualize it in the game.”
For Taupaki, every snap brings him closer to an NFL contract, a future he envisions not only for himself but also for his family.