There are 77 days left in the UteNation Countdown to Kickoff and today we talk about no. 77 Simote Pepa. The 332-pound defensive tackle is a force in the middle of the line and looks to help anchor the defense going into his junior season.

Pepa played in ten games in 2023 after playing in all 14 in 2024. Similar to last season, Pepa’s health and conditioning will be crucial to the defensive tackles’ success this season even with the group’s nice depth. The two-deep of this group is loaded and any of those four — Pepa, Junior Tafuna, Keanu Tanuvasa, and Aliki Vimahi — can be trusted in the biggest moments.

UteNation Take

Pepa’s weight and conditioning will again be a key factor in his success this coming season. He has shown flashes of dominance throughout his time on campus, but his stamina would force him to take a break. He’s currently listed at 332 pounds, and has dropped a significant amount of weight since arriving back from his LDS mission. It would benefit him to lose another 10 before the season starts.

If Pepa can play in every game like he did in 2022, it will mean his conditioning and strength are at their best. The 2022 Pepa was a nightmare that no offense wanted to line up against. If that can happen, he will bring consistency and be a regular problem for opposing offenses.

Remembering Pepa’s Recruitment

Part of the Bingham Three—Pepa, Junior Tafuna and Lolani Langi—he didn’t commit to Utah until signing day 2019. However, Pepa was a longtime Utah lean and often talked to me in our conversations like he was already a part of the program.

The three-star defensive tackle (ranked no. 37 at the position) chose Utah over Wisconsin, Tennessee, Oregon, Nebraska, Arizona, Washington, BYU and others. Pepa then served an LDS mission before joining the team in time for spring ball in 2021.