2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Marist Liufau, LB, Notre Dame
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Marist Liufau, a linebacker out of Notre Dame. He is from Kalihi, HI, and was a 3-star recruit from Punahou High School.
Liufau kicked off his college career in 2020 for the Fighting Irish. He appeared in 8 games racking up 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. His career nearly ended before it gained any momentum as his entire 2021 season was lost due to a preseason ACL injury.
He would return for the 2022 season and would play in 13 games. He posted 22 tackles, 0.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery.
His final college season would see nearly identical production except for an increase to 3 sacks. After the 2023 season, he opted to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft and will wait to see where his NFL journey begins.
Measurables
NCAA Statistics
| Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | TD | PD | FR | Yds | TD | FF |
| *2020 | Notre Dame | ACC | SO | LB | 8 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||
| *2021 | Notre Dame | Ind | JR | LB | |||||||||||||||
| *2022 | Notre Dame | Ind | JR | 13 | 22 | 29 | 51 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| *2023 | Notre Dame | Ind | SR | LB | 12 | 23 | 21 | 44 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| Career | Notre Dame | 55 | 62 | 117 | 12.0 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- Has excellent closing ability as a blitzer.
- He shows toughness as a ball pursuer and tackler.
- Has great feel and instincts as a defender in coverage.
- Possesses great closing speed and bursts all over the field.
Weaknesses
- Has poor instincts upfield at times.
- He struggles to play with consistency on the edge.
- At times, he struggles to locate the ball and ball carrier.
- Has a small frame and often gets out-muscled.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Round 6
Ideal Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Steelers
Liufau was once projected to be an early Day 3 selection, but after poor testing numbers at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine his stock is likely to slide significantly. He wasn’t terrible, but considering how much some of the other linebackers stood out, it was a disappointing day, to say the least.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a knack for getting the most out of their linebackers, so a late-round selection of Liufau could work wonders for his fantasy value.
