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The University of Utah Athletics
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Jersey Number 58
Junior Tafuna
- Height:
- 6-3
- Weight:
- 305
- Position:
- DT
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Taylorsville, Utah
- High School:
- Bingham HS
- Prev School:
- Bingham HS
- Major:
- Economics, 2024
TAFUNA QUICK HITS
- Selected All-Conference in each of his four seasons.
- 2021 Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
- 48 games played as a Ute with 45 starts.
2024: Played in 10 games with nine starts at defensive tackle, making 31 tackles (3.0 TFL, 0.5 sack), one fumble recovery and four passes defended (1 INT, 3 PBU).
- Big 12 All-Conference Honorable Mention (Coaches).
- Set a new season-high vs. BYU with five tackles (0.5 TFL).
- Three other games with four tackles, including Baylor (1.0 TFL), Oklahoma State (1.0 TFL) and Arizona State.
- Tallied 6.5 third-down stops on the season, ranking second on the defensive line and fourth on the team.
- Career-best three pass breakups came in the game against Iowa State.
2023: Started at defensive tackle in 11 games.
- Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team (Coaches and Phil Steele).
- Credited 17 tackles on the season (3.0 TFL, 1.5 sacks), as well as one forced fumble, one recovery and two PBU.
- Season-high five stops included a TFL at No. 19 Oregon State.
- Forced and recovered a fumble in the game vs. No. 8 Oregon.
- Had three tackles and a sack during the fourth quarter vs. No. 22 UCLA.
- Capped the season with three stops (1.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) and a PBU vs. Northwestern in the Las Vegas Bowl.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
- Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team (Coaches).
- Contributed 27 tackles (3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack), one interception, two QB hurries and a breakup.
- Season-best six tackles in the Homecoming victory vs. Oregon State.
- Made five more stops in the game at No. 18 UCLA.
- Came up with a sack during the Rose Bowl Game vs. No. 11 Penn State.
- First career interception highlighted a three-tackle day vs. Southern Utah.
- Logged his first pass breakup of the season at No. 12 Oregon.
- Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year.
- Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team (AP).
- Recorded 33 tackles (5.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks) along with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup.
- Put up a career-high nine tackles (1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) against Arizona.
- Had four tackles that included a 12-yard sack against No. 18 Arizona State.
- Recorded three tackles (1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks) against No. 3 Oregon in the regular season, earning Pac-12 Defensive Line Player of the Week.
- Logged four tackles in the second game of his career against San Diego State.
- First career fumble recovery came at Oregon State.
- Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll.
High School: Three-star recruit out of Bingham HS, rated the No. 7 recruit in the state of Utah.
- Second-team all-state as a senior in 2018.
- Invited to the 2019 Polynesian Bowl.
- 64 tackles (1.0 sack) and an interception as a senior in 2018.
- 74 tackles (1.0 sack) and an interception in 2017.
- Bingham HS won state championships in 2016 and 2017.
Personal: Son of Mau and Timote … has four siblings … served an LDS mission in Praia, Cape Verde … full name Timote (Junior) Maile Tafuna.
Utah: 45, Cincinnati: 14 | POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Saturday, November 01
Head Coach Kyle Whittingham weekly press conference - 10.27.25
Monday, October 27
Utah: 53, Colorado: 7 | POST GAME PRESS CONFERENCE
Saturday, October 25
Crimson Corner with Bill Riley - ESPN's Fran Fraschilla
Wednesday, October 22
