Taki Taimani
| No. 94 – Minnesota Vikings | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 6, 1999[1] |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 309 lb (140 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | East (Salt Lake City, Utah) |
| College: | Washington (2018–2021) Oregon (2022–2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
Sam "Taki" Taimani (born October 6, 1999)[1] is an American football defensive tackle for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and Washington Huskies.
Early life and high school
[edit]Taimani attended East High School located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Coming out of high school, Taimani was rated as a four star recruit, where he decided to commit to play college football for the Washington Huskies.[2][3]
College career
[edit]Washington
[edit]During week three of the 2020 season, Taimani notched five tackles in a win over the Utah Utes.[4] In week five of the 2021 season, Taimani recovered a fumble which he returned 13 yards inside the Beavers ten-yard line, however, the Huskies fell to Oregon State.[5] During week ten of the 2021 season, Taimani made the start where he tallied four tackles in a loss against Oregon.[6] During, Taimani's first four seasons at Washington from 2018-2021 he totaled 71 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, two pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.[7][8][9][10] After the conclusion of the 2021 season, Taimani decided to enter his name into the NCAA transfer portal.[11][12]
Oregon
[edit]Taimani decided to transfer to play for the Oregon Ducks.[13][14] In Taimani's final two collegiate seasons with Oregon in 2022 and 2023, he notched 36 tackles with two and a half being for a loss, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery.[15][16][17]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+3⁄8 in (1.86 m) |
309 lb (140 kg) |
31+7⁄8 in (0.81 m) |
10+3⁄4 in (0.27 m) |
5.31 s | 1.84 s | 3.04 s | 5.03 s | 8.02 s | 25 in (0.64 m) |
8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) |
25 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[18][19] | ||||||||||||
After not being selected in the 2024 NFL draft, Taimani decided to sign with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent.[20][21] He was also selected by the Arlington Renegades in the 7th round of the 2024 UFL draft on July 17.[22]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Taki Taimani". ourlads.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Jude, Adam (9 December 2017). "Huskies get commitment from four-star lineman Sam Taimani". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ McDonald, Ryan (20 December 2017). "East lineman Sam Taimani signs with Washington". Deseret News. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (24 May 2020). "Identity Crisis? No, everyone knows Who Huskies' Taki Taimani Is". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (16 December 2021). "Taimani Leaves Disappointing UW Season Behind, Enters Transfer Portal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (8 October 2023). "When Taki Taimani Returns to Husky Stadium, Will UW Fans Notice?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Sam Taimani College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". Sports Reference. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (3 December 2020). "Taki Taimani Is an Effective Middle Manager for the Huskies". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (2 August 2021). "Taki Taimani Needs to Learn How to Be Great Washington Defender". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (6 October 2021). "If Anything Good Came Out of a Lost Night in Corvallis, It Was Taimani". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (31 December 2021). "Taimani Posts Photo of Himself in Oregon Uniform". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (16 December 2021). "UW Huskies starting defensive lineman Sam 'Taki' Taimani enters NCAA transfer portal". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Raley, Dan (14 October 2023). "Taimani Expected Backlash After Transferring from UW to Oregon". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Vorel, Mike (6 January 2022). "Former UW Huskies starting DL Sam 'Taki' Taimani announces transfer to rival Oregon". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Crepea, James (12 October 2023). "Oregon football nose tackle Taki Taimani excited to face Washington, his former team, 'especially back there'". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Sam Taimani 2022 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Sam Taimani 2023 Game Logs". Sports Reference. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "Gabriel Murphy Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Taki Taimani College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 3, 2024.
- ^ Dietz, Alec (28 April 2024). "Minnesota Vikings sign Oregon's Taki Taimani as undrafted free agent:What to know". The Register-Guard. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ Smalley, Don (27 April 2024). "Oregon DL Taki Taimani signs UDFA contract with Vikings". Ducks Wire. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
- ^ "2024 UFL College Draft: Showboats select Kansas QB Jason Bean with No. 1 pick". FoxSports.com. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.