Utes on the rise: Safety Sione Vaki

After an impressive 2022 performance, Sione Vaki is one of the Utes on the rise for the 2023 campaign.

With the 2022 Utah Football season now fully in the rear-view mirror and spring ball not too far off, it's time to reflect and review on the notable performances from this past year.

While players like Cameron Rising, Dalton Kincaid, Clark Phillips III and Cole Bishop made a lot of the big plays, there were a handful of younger players who made notable contributions and are certainly on the rise for 2023.

The following is a recap and analysis of freshman Sione Vaki, his 2022 contributions, and what potential may lie in store.

A three-star recruit who committed to the Utes in 2019, Vaki was clearly an underrated high school player as he quickly adjusted to the collegiate level and demonstrated an incredible amount of potential in just his first season at Utah.

After his first year with the Utes, Vaki finished with 41 total tackles (8th most on the team), 34 of which were solo and included 3.5 tackles for loss. Vaki also had one forced fumble and three pass break-ups.

From this defensive production, Vaki strung together notable performances such as a career-high nine tackles against Washington State, six tackles in the Pac-12 Championship with two pass break-ups and eight total tackles against Penn State in the Rose Bowl.

Utah Utes safety Sione Vaki (28) tackles Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen (13) in the first quarter in the 109th Rose Bowl game at the Rose Bowl / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

While Vaki mostly operated on special teams early in the season, he quickly proved himself to be a consistent and physical defender who refused to allow returners to get by. This eventually led to five starts at the nickel position and Vaki did not disappoint. 

Over the back half of the year, Vaki recorded 34 of his 41 tackles, consistently demonstrating an elite ability to get involved in the play, accurately track receivers, disrupt passes, and effectively drop ball carriers. 

Looking ahead to the future, time and experience will be Vaki's greatest ally as he already possesses all the necessary skills, but just needs more experience in order to develop them. Week after week, Vaki continuously stood out and gained the trust of the coaches into a starting position. Just as he demonstrated nearly every game down the stretch, Vaki is a big-time defender and has the potential to be the face of the secondary moving forward.

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