Marte Mapu, a Sacramento State alum, will take the field with the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Sacramento State alum will take the field on football’s biggest stage on Super Bowl Sunday at Levi’s Stadium. 

Marte Mapu’s road to the Super Bowl began when he was a standout linebacker for the Sacramento State Hornets.

The former Hornet is part of an upstart New England Patriots squad headed to the Big Game after a surprise 14-3 regular-season record. In their 12th Super Bowl appearance, the Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium.

Mapu credits Sacramento State for helping shape the path that led him to the NFL and a chance at a Super Bowl championship.

“I feel like that’s kind of what helped me get to this point now,” Mapu told ABC10’s Kevin John. “I don’t know how it would have looked if I ended up anywhere else.”

His best season with the Hornets came in 2022, when he was named Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year. Mapu finished second on the team with 76 total tackles in 13 games and earned first-team All-Big Sky honors.

Following his standout senior season, Mapu became the highest-drafted player in Sacramento State history when the Patriots selected him with the 76th overall pick in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

His best game of the 2025 season came Oct. 19 against the Tennessee Titans. Mapu recorded eight tackles and a pass deflection in a 31-13 win.

Reflecting on the moment, Mapu said the significance of playing in the Super Bowl hit him during a taco run with friends, when he realized how close the game would be to his former stomping grounds.

“We were just kind of talking about how close to home we’re actually playing this game,” Mapu said. “At first, I was really just focused on the game, and it didn’t really faze me.”

“To be playing this close to home, to be practicing in the same facility that some of my coaches are in right now, to be able to go and see my family during the week — I’m grateful for those things,” Mapu said.

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