We over me.
That’s been the anthem for Colorado State’s 2025 football year, and as the year progresses, it’s become more deeply ingrained with each play and every minute spent on the field. After a fairly lackluster season defensively, the Rams have taken a second to rebrand themselves, bringing on new defensive coordinator Tyson Summers in January and defensive line coach Luke Johnson in July.
And to achieve Summers’ vision of an aggressive, go-getting unit, it starts with the defensive line.
“I think a lot of teams are looking down on us, thinking last year was a fluke. But I really think this year we’re going to go game by game, one play by one play, and really show to everyone else we can contend for the Mountain West championship this year.” -Mukendi Wa-Kalonji, defensive lineman
“They (have) got to strike, they (have) got to be technicians and they got to rush the pass,” Johnson said. “At the end of the day, we’re going to ask them to do a bunch of stuff, but it comes down to those three things. … I fully expect those guys to dominate.”
Through fall camp, that vision was able to take shape as the defense flourished in drills, forcing the offense to complete push-ups as punishment. But it wasn’t always a smooth ride to get there.
After the 2024 season, CSU had only one returning starter on defense: Mukendi Wa-Kalonji. Throughout the offseason, as new teammates took the field, Wa-Kalonji found himself growing into a leader, both on and off the field.
“It’s been really hard, especially for me because I’m not really a talkative guy — I like to lead more by example,” Wa-Kalonji said. “But coach told me — I would go sit in the office and talk to him — and he just told me, “That’s part of being a leader — you’ve got to be willing to step outside your comfort zone and go talk to a lot of the players … and show them not just by action.’”
Since 2022, Wa-Kalonji has made an appearance in every single game, and in the most recent season, proved to be a valuable asset by recording 35 tackles with 15 solo stops and added 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks.
Another returning player who showed promise — and is expected to see increased playing time — is Jernias Tafia, who appeared in 10 games and tallied 13 tackles, including two solo stops.
“I had older dudes that grew me to step up, so it’s kind of just passing game down,” Tafia said. “I’ve tried my best to give (the younger players) tools that I’ve learned, and that’s really all I’ve been giving them. The rest is all credit to them, to be honest.”
And in the offseason, it finally began to feel like the team had found its footing. Then July 18 arrived.
The news was first revealed by ESPN’s Pete Thamel, reporting CSU’s defensive line coach Chuka Ndulue accepted a job with the Los Angeles Chargers after playing for the team for two seasons in 2015-16.
Yet with the season opener being about a month away, the news came at an inconvenient time for the Rams. The new defensive unit was not only still learning how to mesh with each other but with their coach, too.
“It threw us off,” Wa-Kalonji said. “But I feel like we just trusted coach Summers, knowing that he was going to hire someone that was going to be able to step in really quickly and know (and) understand his defense, understand each one of us.”
And on Aug. 4, Summers brought in a coach who could understand his players in a whole new light: Johnson.
He not only brings valuable experience to the field, but as a relatively young coach, he is especially well-positioned to connect with his players and guide them effectively. And despite having practiced with the team for only a short amount of time, it didn’t take long for him to build relationships with the players.
“He’s spicy, but he’s also super laid back,” Wa-Kalonji said. “He’s young, so he relates with us a lot, and he just likes to crack jokes. But when it’s time to watch film and really break down things, he’s really knowledgeable. … He knows everything. That’s what I like about him, you can really pick his brain, and he’ll give you answers.”
Before joining the green and gold, Johnson spent the previous season as a defensive graduate assistant and, in the summer, an assistant linebacker at Baylor. He first got experience as a graduate assistant, though, at Western Kentucky, where he first worked with Summers.
“When (Summers) called me, I figured he was just calling to check in on me before we got going for the season,” Johnson said. “Then he kind of told me about the opportunity, he was honestly just curious if I was interested, and I said, ‘Absolutely.'”
Since then, Johnson said he considered the transition rather smooth, satisfied with his new home at Canvas Stadium. The Rams will return soon on Sept. 6 against Northern Colorado, where the defense looks to prove itself in the second half after a loss against Washington.
For the defensive line, it’s not just about getting a few tackles; it’s about what happens when these players come together. Whether it’s a redshirt freshman from Arvada, Colorado, a fifth-year who’s been with the team for every single one of his collegiate years or a transfer from Washington State, these players come together as one to become a wall that no offense can break past.
“I think a lot of teams are looking down on us, thinking last year was a fluke,” Wa-Kalonji said. “But I really think this year we’re going to go game by game, one play by one play, and really show to everyone else we can contend for the Mountain West championship this year.”
Reach Sophie Webb at sports@collegian.com or on social media @sophgwebb.
