Fatafehi Vailea II holds the NT · Backup spot in Oklahoma State Cowboys’s defensive tackle room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Fatafehi Vailea II is a nose tackle from Oakland, California, who attended Desert Pines High School before playing at North Texas. A three-star recruit ranked No. 1919 overall in the class of 2021, he appeared in 14 games as a freshman in 2022, earning All-Conference USA All-Freshman team honors with 44 tackles. Over his next two seasons, he compiled 25 tackles in 2023 and 34 tackles with 4.0 tackles for loss in 2024, including a seven-tackle performance in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl. In 2025, he started four games before a season-ending injury against Army, recording 15 tackles including 10 in that final game. Vailea transfers to Oklahoma State for the 2026 season.

North Texas2021 – 2025

Oklahoma State2026 — present