Mapu’s moment: Defender goes from Sac State All-American to Super Bowl LX glory
Marte Mapu remembers the call.
The one-time Sacramento State All-American linebacker was stuck in the snarl of rush-hour traffic in Southern California, his car inching along while his heart and mind were racing.
“Will I get picked, and when?” Mapu wondered April 28, 2023, otherwise known as NFL draft day. Then he fielded a call that would change his life.
The number that popped up on his cell phone was not familiar, and neither was the voice.
It was Bill Belichick, then the New England Patriots coach, who steered the franchise to six Super Bowl championships from 2002 to 2019. He informed Mapu that he had been selected in the third round, and it’s been a fast-forward ride ever since.
Mapu’s journey has taken him back to California, this time for Super Bowl LX on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
“I’ve never seen that number come up in my life, so I knew I had to pick it up, and Bill doesn’t really have a lot of energy, so that’s what set me up to know it was him,” Mapu said Monday night at the San Jose Convention Center during Opening Night of Super Bowl week.
That call made it the biggest day of Mapu’s sporting life, and now he’s ready to surpass that. The third-year Patriots veteran and Southern California native did not play in the AFC Championship win at Denver with a tender hip, but he declared himself fit and ready to go for the final game of the season.
From Hawthorne HS to Sac State All-American
Mapu said he does not take his journey for granted. He played multiple positions as a star at Hawthorne High in southwestern Los Angeles County, a relentless competitor who did not want to come off the field. On offense, he played quarterback and receiver. On defense, he lined up at linebacker, safety or cornerback. On special teams, he knocked people off balance.
Mapu played inspired then and throughout his Sac State career, which included earning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2022. He was motivated to excel to honor his American Samoan heritage.
Mapu has mentioned his parents Renee Peneueta and Va’a Mapu as guiding lights. He graduated from Sac State with a degree in sociology, a promise kept to his parents and to himself, and he smiled broadly at the idea of a large throng of family watching him on the biggest stage of the sport.
Among his followers since his Sac State days has been Andy Thompson, who recruited Mapu to Sac State when he was the program’s defensive coordinator. Thompson is an assistant coach at Stanford, where Mapu said he wants to run into his old friend this week.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Mapu said of his route to the Super Bowl. “I still feel like I’m processing it right now. (I have some) coaches at Stanford. It’s crazy to come back around, to be here now. “
“Love Marte,” Thompson said in an interview Tuesday afternoon. “I’m so excited for him and his unbelievable journey. He was great to coach because he always wanted to improve, every day. Super competitive and curious about what everyone on defense was supposed to do on every play. I can’t wait to see him play Sunday, and I know the Thompson family will be cheering hard for No. 15.”
Mapu and Patriots coach have mutual respect
Belichick used Mapu in a hybrid linebacker/safety role in 2023, and the 6-foot-3, 230-pounder played extensively his first two seasons, including starting games in 2024. This season, Mapu appeared in 17 games, starting three, and he has been a mainstay on special teams.
Mapu became an immediate favorite of Mike Vrabel, the former Patriots linebacker who in his first season as New England’s coach has the franchise in the Super Bowl for a record 12th time.
Vrabel presented Mapu with the game ball after his first head-coaching victory, with the coach saying in the Patriots locker room then, “Marte, I appreciate you, man. Nobody has embraced their role on this football team (like you have). I love watching Tay in these team meetings. He sits there, head nodding, locked in. You took advantage of your opportunity, and I’m proud of you.”
Vrabel before this season moved Mapu from safety to linebacker and kept him on special teams
Mapu said Vrabel was the driving figure that transformed the Patriots from a four-win team a year ago into one that has stormed into the Super Bowl as winners of 13 of their last 14 games.
“I think he’s great,” Mapu said of his coach. “He’s a great leader of men. He knows how to connect with us on a personal level, and then he also knows how to orchestrate and manage us on a team level. He can get the best out of you and come and have a one-on-one conversation with you. He can push us to a standard of excellence.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 1:58 PM.