Santana Hopper

Santana Hopper
No. 97 – Colorado Buffaloes
PositionDefensive tackle
ClassSenior
Personal information
Born (2004-06-20) June 20, 2004 (age 22)
Listed height
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight
265 lb (120 kg)
Career information
High schoolShelby (Shelby, North Carolina)
College
Awards and highlights
Stats at ESPN

Santana Hopper (born June 20, 2004) is an American college football defensive tackle for the Colorado Buffaloes. He previously played for the Appalachian State Mountaineers and Tulane Green Wave.

Early life

Hopper attended Shelby High School in Shelby, North Carolina. During his high school career he had 176 tackles and 24.5 sacks. He committed to Appalachian State University to play college football.

College career

Hopper played at Appalachian State from 2022 to 2024, recording 36 tackles and 8.5 sacks over 26 games. After the 2024 season, he entered the transfer portal and committed to the University of Tulane. In his lone season with Tulane in 2025, he started 13 of 14 games and had 31 tackles and 4.5 sacks. After the season, Hopper entered the transfer portal again and committed to the University of Colorado Boulder. He entered his first season at Colorado in 2026 as a starter.

References

  1. 1 2 @SantanaHop29 (June 20, 2021). "Blessed to see 17 🙏" (Tweet). Retrieved October 15, 2026 – via Twitter.
  2. ↑ He has offers, awards and a state title. So what is motivating Shelby's Hopper this fall?
  3. ↑ App State football announces class of 2022 early signees
  4. ↑ App State football players entering the transfer portal
  5. ↑ Colorado adding more depth on defensive front
  6. ↑ Colorado lands former Tulane DT, one of the portal's top defenders
  7. ↑ Colorado’s Santana Hopper driven to succeed
  8. ↑ Meet Santana Hopper, a Tulane transfer who might be the best player on Colorado's defense
  9. ↑ Inside Santana Hopper's dominant early run at Colorado[unreliable source?]