SD #56

Shaun Dolac

Linebacker · Buffalo

A walk-on turned consensus All-American at Buffalo who led the nation in tackles before going undrafted and sticking with the Rams.

Shaun Dolac's path from Buffalo walk-on to the nation's leading tackler is one of college football's better underdog stories. Despite a 168-tackle, Consensus All-American senior season, he went undrafted in 2025 because of his size, but he forced his way onto the Rams' roster and played every regular-season game as a rookie.

★ Led the nation in tackles with 168 at Buffalo (2024)

★ Consensus All-American, the first in Buffalo program history

★ First-team All-MAC (2022)

★ Played all 17 regular-season games as an undrafted rookie with the Rams in 2025

Path to the league

Dolac broke out at Buffalo in 2022 with 147 tackles and first-team All-MAC honors, then missed most of 2023 with a season-ending injury. He returned in 2024 to lead the nation with 168 tackles and earn Consensus All-American recognition, becoming the first Buffalo player named first-team All-American by the Associated Press. Undersized for the position and left off Senior Bowl and combine invite lists, he went undrafted in 2025 and signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

Career highlights

Dolac's 2024 season at Buffalo stands as one of the most productive tackling campaigns in recent college football history, pairing a national tackles title with unanimous All-American honors. He carried that physical, high-motor style into a Rams training camp battle that won him a spot on the 53-man roster.

2025 season recap

Dolac played in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, primarily on special teams while working into the linebacker rotation, and recorded 25 tackles on the year. His season ended when he was placed on injured reserve in early January 2026 with a PCL injury suffered in the Week 18 game against Arizona.