We come to no. 55 in our countdown to kickoff, which is shared by two Utes, one of which is sophomore linebacker Andrew Mata'afa. Mata'afa redshirted his first season in 2018, saw action in seven games in 2019, and played on special teams in all five games in 2020.
Andrew played both ways in high school as a linebacker and tight end before filling a need at linebacker for the Utes in the 2018 class. The nephew of former Washington State star and All-Pac-12 performer, Hercules Mata'afa, Andrew was a long and athletic player coming into college.
With three years in the system, Mata’afa had a leg up on all of the highly regarded newcomers at linebacker. Can he take advantage of that? Stay tuned.
UteNation take
An athletic backer, Mata'afa provides solid depth behind Devin Lloyd and Nephi Sewell at the second level of the defense, but it’s time for him to take that next step. Mata'afa came to Utah weighing a little over 200 pounds, but he's put on over 20 pounds since his first steps onto campus to consistently play between the tackles. An injury in the 2019 spring game slowed his development as he was getting more comfortable dropping into coverage, but consistent special teams snaps in 2020 hopefully signals that Mata'afa is not too far off from competing for playing time this fall.
When he first got to Utah, what kept Mata’afa from the field was him initially struggling to grasp the system. However, reports are that worry is a thing of the past and he should be trusted to fill in for an extended period of time in 202, if needed and when needed.
Alex remembers Mata'afa's recruitment
The nephew of one of college football’s best defensive linemen in 2018, Washington State’s Hercules Mata’afa, Andrew’s recruitment was relatively quiet compared to what it could have been, due to an injury during his senior season. Andrew had offers from Utah, Washington State, Virginia, Vanderbilt, Oregon State, as well as several G5 schools. He silently committed to the Utah coaching staff just before the first ever early signing day, but wanted to make his announcement in front of his family, on his 18th birthday.
