Santana Hopper

UCF

Nov 28 (Sat)

TBA

Position:
Defensive Line
Height:
6-2
Weight:
265
Class:
Fifth
Hometown:
Shelby, N.C.
High School:
Shelby
Prev School:
Appalachian State/Tulane
Major:
Sociology

AT COLORADO

2026 (Fifth-Year): Has played in nine games, starting nine with 574 snaps. Has 31 tackles (18 solo), 14.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, 14 quarterback hurries, eight third-down stops and four touchdown-saving plays. Preseason: Shriners Children's 1000 watch list; preseason first-team All-American (Pro Football Network); preseason first-team All-Big 12 (PFN), second-team (SIS).

Game by game:

at Georgia Tech (Sept. 3, W 14-13) (start): 1 tackle (0 solo), 0.5 TFL. Honors: Big 12 Defensive Line of the Week (unit honor); part of the defensive line that posted a 95.5 PFF grade, the highest in FBS in Week 1.
vs. Weber State (Sept. 12, W 52-21) (start): 1 tackle (1 solo), 1 TFL, 1 sack, 2 QBH.
at Northwestern (Sept. 19, L 7-41) (start): 3 tackles (3 solo), 2 TFL. CU high in tackles.
at Baylor (Sept. 26, L 13-23) (start): 3 tackles (2 solo), 0.5 TFL, 2 QBH.
vs. Texas Tech (Oct. 3, L 7-29) (start): 10 tackles (6 solo), 5.5 TFL, 5 QBH. Set collegiate career highs in tackles and TFLs, plus a CU high in hurries; earned a 90.7 PFF grade, the highest among Power 4 defensive players that week, and became the first Buff believed to record five-plus TFLs and QBHs in a game. Honors: PFF Big 12 Team of the Week; CU Athlete of the Week.
vs. Utah (Oct. 17, L 24-27) (start): 2 tackles (0 solo), 0.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, 4 QBH. Recorded four hurries for the second consecutive game, totaling nine against Texas Tech and Utah, including half of CU's eight against the Utes.
at Oklahoma State (Oct. 24, L 24-57) (start): 5 tackles (1 solo), 1.5 TFL for 6 yards, 1 sack for 5 yards, 1 QBH. Recorded a 5-yard sack of Drew Mestemaker in the third quarter; established a personal single-season high of 11.5 tackles for loss, surpassing his previous best of 10.5 at Tulane in 2025; increased his collegiate career total to 15.5 sacks; combined with Gideon ESPN Lampron on a 3-yard tackle for loss in the fourth quarter.
vs. Kansas State (Oct. 31, W 27-24 OT) (start): played.
at Arizona State (Nov. 7, L 10-20) (start): 6 tackles (5 solo), 3 TFL for 9 yards. Recorded three tackles for loss for the second time this season, bringing his season total to a career-high 14.5; extended his streak of recording a TFL to nine consecutive games.

AS A TRANSFER

Rated a three-star transfer prospect by 247Sports, which listed him as the No. 232 player in the portal and the No. 16 defensive lineman as of Jan. 7, 2026. Enters Colorado as an undergraduate transfer with one year to play one.

AT TULANE (2025)

2025 (Fourth-Year): Played in all 14 games with 13 starts and had 31 tackles (17 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Entered the season as a first-team preseason All-American Conference pick by Phil Steele, second-team by Athlon and a second-team HERO Sports preseason Group of Five All-American.

AT APPALACHIAN STATE (2022-24)

Played in 26 games over three seasons with 16 starts.

2024 (Third-Year): Started all 10 games he played and was first-team All-Sun Belt with 36 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, five sacks and two forced fumbles, leading Sun Belt defensive linemen in quarterback pressures (20) and ranking sixth in the league in sacks per game. Earned a national defensive player of the week honor after a strip-sack and three pressures against East Carolina.

2023 (Second-Year): Played in all 14 games, starting the final six, and was a College Football News second-team freshman All-American and honorable mention All-Sun Belt with 34 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Had 5.5 TFLs in a four-game midseason stretch, including 1.5 sacks at Old Dominion, and had a sack in both the Sun Belt championship game and the Cure Bowl win.

2022 (First-Year): Redshirted while playing in two games at defensive end, against Robert Morris and Old Dominion, with his first career tackle against Robert Morris.

RECRUIT RANKINGS

A three-star prospect. 247Sports rated him an 87, the No. 93 defensive lineman and the No. 20 player from North Carolina; On3 rated him an 84, the No. 136 defensive lineman and No. 16 in North Carolina. The 247Sports Composite had him No. 522 nationally, the No. 73 defensive lineman and No. 15 in North Carolina, and the Rivals Industry Ranking listed him No. 601 nationally, the No. 67 defensive lineman and No. 16 in North Carolina.

AT SHELBY HIGH SCHOOL

Played three seasons of varsity football for head coach Mike Wilbanks, totaling 176 tackles, 73 tackles for loss and 24.5 sacks in 34 games while helping Shelby to a 35-5 record and two state championships. As a senior on a 15-1 state-title team, had 84 tackles, 38 for loss, 14.5 sacks, three blocked punts and two forced fumbles in 13 games, with multiple TFLs in 12 of them and a high of five, and had nine tackles, a sack and three TFLs in the 2021 state championship game win over Wallace-Rose Hill.