There are 58 days left in the UteNation countdown to kickoff for the 2024 season. With the preseason All-Big 12 team being announced today, it’s only fitting that it’s time to discuss No. 58, Junior Tafuna.

The three-time all-conference selection and 2021 Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year started and played in 11 games last season. He’s the unquestioned leader of a vaunted Utah defensive line group.

With Tafuna teaming with Keanu Tanuvasa, Simote Pepa, Aliki Vimahi, and Tevita Fotu, the Utes should have the edge in the middle of the trenches throughout most, if not all, of the 2024 schedule.

UteNation Take

Tafuna’s game has blossomed under defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss and Utah’s attacking philosophy. The style takes advantage of Tafuna’s speed and explosiveness that he has kept from his prep days at Bingham HS as a 230 pound outside linebacker.

Now a rock solid 308 pound defensive tackle, Tafuna looks to cement himself as an early pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Tafuna is the type that can’t always be judged on his stats alone. He’s such a physical and athletic presence that teams have to double him up or scheme against him. This allowed Pepa to break out in 2022 and Tanuvasa to break out in 2023.

Utah’s senior leader is about to be one of the most intimidating presences in the Big 12.

Remembering Tafuna’s Recruitment

As a member of the Bingham Three—with Simote Pepa and Lolani Langi—Tafuna was the No. 7 rated player in Utah that season. He had offers from several other suitors, including Oregon, Washington State, Nebraska, Boise State, and BYU. Ultimately, in the end, it came down to the Utes and the Cougars of Pullman, Washington.

He committed relatively early on in the process and shut down his recruitment, staying true to the Utes all the way through signing day.