Iupati played at Idaho during 2006-09 and was a first-round pick of the San Franciso 49ers, where he played for five seasons. He also played four years with the Arizona Cardinals and finished with his 11-year career with Seattle.
Born and raised in Vaitogi, American Samoa, Iupati’s family moved to Garden Grove, Calif., right before he began high school in Anaheim. While he had an outstanding high school career, his academic record scared away most recruiters. However, Idaho assistant coach Johnny Nansen Iupati at a recruiting event in California and he and then UI assistant coach Jason Eck eventually convinced him to come to Idaho. It turned out to be a great decision.
Iupati redshirted the 2005 season and then saw action as a backup in 2006. As a sophomore in 2007, he started all 12 games at guard, and then started eight games the following season, missing a few because of off-season shoulder surgery. Still, he earned second-team all-Western Athletic Conference honors. As a senior, he was named to the preseason watch list for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award. He started all 12 games at guard and in 807 snaps, he had 49 knockdowns, 21 pancakes and did not give up a quarterback sack. Idaho went on to have its first winning season in 10 years and capped it with a win over Bowling Green in the Humanitarian Bowl.
Iupati drew much pre-NFL draft praise and wound up being the 17th pick overall in the draft. Because of an injury in training camp to another player, Iupati moved into the starting lineup and was named to the All-Rookie Team. In 2012, he was named All-Pro and started in the Pro Bowl. He wound up playing in four Pro Bowls during his career.
Iupati retired from the NFL in 2021 and recently was named an assistant football coach at Washington State University.