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In the months leading up to the start of fall camp, BeaversEdge.com will be counting down the Top 25 Oregon State football players on the 2024 roster.
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No. 15 Semisi Saluni
Bio
No. 45
6-foot-3, 295-pounds
Senior
Concord, Calif.
Northgate HS
2023 Stats: 13 GP (six tackles with one tackle for loss)
2023 Recap
Saluni is coming off a junior campaign with the Beavers where he saw action in all 13 of Oregon State's contests, finishing with six tackles and one tackle for loss.
Playing 172 total snaps on defense, Saluni averaged about 14-15 snaps per contest for the Beavers in 2023, largely in relief of the Beavers' veteran-ladden DL unit.
Saluni's best game of the season came in the Beavers' win over UC Davis in week two this past season. He played a season-high 25 snaps at the DT spot against the Aggies and tallied two tackles, including a six-yard tackle for loss.
Per PFF, Saluni finished with an overall defensive grade of 58.6 on the year, which leaves plenty of room for improvement. However, he posted a solid 79.2 overall defensive grade against UCD and a better-than-average grade against Washington State (60.7) which could indicate he's capable of being an effective disruptor when given an extended run of opportunity, rather than being a top reserve.
While Saluni's numbers don't jump off the page at you, here's a guy who has put in the work the past three seasons building up to an opportunity like this to have a season of being a bonafide starter...
2024 Outlook
Entering the 2024 campaign, Saluni is expected to play the biggest role of his career, likely seeing a lot of snaps on the defensive line this season.
With the Beavers graduating Isaac Hodgins, James Rawls, Joe Golden, and Tavis Shippen, and losing Sione Lolohea to the portal, the Beavers will have a very new group on the DL, and Saluni is the leader in the room entering camp.
He's the most experienced lineman the Beavers have, as he's played in 39 career games since the 2021 season and has career totals of 13 tackles, one tackle for loss, and one pass deflection.
While Saluni has yet to be a featured piece of the DL, the Beavers are banking on him having a breakout season when given the opportunity. He's one of just two seniors in the room, along with Northern Colorado transfer Nick Norris, who will also see a sizable role this season.
He's got solid size to be a disruptor on the interior of the line at 6-foot-3, 295 pounds, and boasts a similar frame to that of Hodgins. He wasn't the biggest guy size-wise out there but played very smart football and knew how to effectively use his frame to make plays, and I think Saluni is very similar.
He looked very comfortable in spring, and was typically running with the first or second unit, so the writing is on the wall for him to be a much bigger piece of the rotation this season...
Look for Saluni to be in the mix to be one of the interior starters on the defensive line to start the season as no one else in the room can match his experience and years in the program, which will certainly give him a leg up entering camp...
Previously
Honorable Mentions + Just Missed
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