Tana Keïta
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| No. 53 – Retired | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | June 19, 2001 (aged 59) Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Saint Ignatius High School |
| College: | Ohio State |
| ISFL Draft: | 2026 ISFL Draft / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 |
| DSFL Draft: | 2025 (S10) / Round: 2 / Pick: 8 |
| Career history | |
| Roster status: | Active |
Tana Keïta (born June 19, 2001) is a retired American football linebacker who played for the Tijuana Luchadores in the DSFL and the New Orleans Second Line and Orange County Otters in the NSFL (now ISFL). He won an Ultimini championship with Tijuana as a player in 2025 (S10) and four as a coach in 2031 (S16),2032 (S17),2035 (S20)and 2038 (S23). He won an Ultimus championship with NOLA in 2026 (S11). He has been inducted into the Tijuana ring of honour.
Contents
Early years
Tana Keïta was named after his maternal grandfather who was a Guinean immigrant to the United States. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and attended Saint Ignatius High School. He was a very reserved boy who didn’t spend a lot of time away from home except for school and football. His High School coach said of him;
“Tana leads by example. He is not a big talker. He just gets in there and does his job every day and makes everybody around him better.”
His situation at home grew worse and worse throughout his time in High School. An abusive father who eventually left the family made it necessary for Tana to be at home as often as possible to look after both his siblings and his mother. He would often be sporting bruises he had not suffered in a football game due to protecting his mother from being hurt. His three younger siblings all looked up to him as he had been a father figure to them after not having one himself. His grades at school were adequate although nothing special, but on the football field was where he really shined. As the Mike Linebacker and leader of the defense he took his school to the State Championship game held at Ohio Stadium (The Horseshoe) in Columbus, Ohio. There they would face Cincinnati St. Xavier.
Tana had 14 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks although his team ultimately ended up losing the game in over time. It was a heartbreaking loss for the team and for Tana’s family as they had travelled to watch his final game at the High School level.
This would not be his last game at The Horseshoe though. Tana decided to commit to The Ohio State University in order to remain close to home, after receiving offers from many schools across the country including Notre Dame, Penn State, Ole Miss, Clemson and Oklahoma. Tana was named Second Team All American coming out of High School.
College career
Coming out of Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Keïta was a five star recruit. He became a part of a revered defense at Ohio State where in his four years he played alongside players such as the Bosa brothers, Denzel Ward, Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker and most importantly Ryan Shazier who he lined up beside as MLB. He did not see much of the field in his freshman year. Keïta had 95 and 92 solo tackles in his sophomore and junior years respectively before he lead the country in tackles with 114 in his senior year. Add three sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, and five pass deflections to that in his senior year. He graduated after 4 years with a degree in criminal justice.
Professional career
EFL career
Keïta played four seasons for the Buckeyes before declaring for the 2024 EFL draft. He went undrafted due to a perceived lack of commitment to the sport and was picked up as an UDFA by the San Antonio Wolfpack although he never saw the field for the side. The Wolfpack released him before the 2025 season
DSFL career
After a few months of working out with the Tijuana Luchadores, Keïta declared for the 2025 (S10) DSFL draft. He was drafted in the second round, 8th overall by the reigning champions Tijuana. Keita immediately made an impact on the team, being voted defensive captain in his rookie season.
The Luchadores lead the league with a 10-4 record and stormed in to the playoffs beating the San Antonio Marshalls 34-3 in the SFC championship game. The Ultimini championship game would be a rematch of the year prior with Tijuana facing the Portland Pythons. Keita showed up for the big game with a defensive player of the game performance including 9 tackles and one sack. The 37-7 victory meant that Tijuana had threepeated, a feat that had never been achieved before and has never been replicated since.
With his draft stock rising after a stellar rookie season Tana Keita declared for the 2026 ISFL Draft .
NSFL career
Keita was drafted in the first round, sixth overall, by the New Orleans Second Line. They had split the past two Ultimus championships with the Baltimore Hawks, and were coming off a loss in 2025 (S10). Keita would be joining an elite NOLA defense, lining up beside future hall of famers Brian Mills and Julian O'Sullivan at linebacker, along with a secondary that included Blackford Oakes, Benson Bayley, Vladimir Fyodorovich, and William Harrison all of which would make it to the hall of fame as well. This defense contributed to a league best 11-3 record, giving New Orleans home field advantage for the ASFC championship against Orange County. Keita once again showed he loved the big games, getting a sack and an interception on the way to a 40-13 win. The Ultimus championship would be one for the ages when New Orleans once again faced Baltimore. After four lead changes the teams were tied in regular time, a Darren Smallwood touchdown in overtime would give the Second Line the victory. Keita shone in the spotlight in his second title game in as many years with another defensive player of the game performance with 10 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovered.
Professional career statistics
| Career statistics | Defense | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Games | Tck | TFL | FF/FR | Sck | Int | PD | Sfty | TD | Blk P/XP/FG |
| 2025 (S10) | Luchadores | 14 | 101 | 5 | 0/1 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2026 (S11) | Second Line | 14 | 87 | 0 | 1/1 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2027 (S12) | Second Line | 14 | 91 | 1 | 1/2 | 11 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2028 (S13) | Second Line | 14 | 134 | 6 | 2/1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0/0/0 |
| 2029 (S14) | Otters | 14 | 91 | 5 | 1/1 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
| 2030 (S15) | Otters | 14 | 71 | 0 | 1/0 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0/0/0 |
Achievements and records
Come back to this later
