HONOLULU — UTSA senior offensive lineman Venly Tatafu has been selected for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award watch list, the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame announced on Thursday.
Tatafu is one of 96 players who made this year’s list for the award which is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry that epitomizes great ability and integrity.
A native of Portland, Oregon, Tatafu is entering his third season as a key member of the UTSA offensive line. Last fall, he started all 13 games, the first four at left guard before making the move out to left tackle for the final nine contests to help the offense pile up 5,421 yards (421.6 yards per game), including 3,248 passing and 2,531 rushing yards. Tatafu logged 978 total snaps, including 680 at left tackle, and was graded with a 97.6 pass blocking efficiency by Pro Football Focus.
The watch list candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list will be made as the 2024 season progresses. The finalists and winner will be chosen by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee which includes former NFL player and inaugural inductee Jack "The Throwin' Samoan" Thompson (Chairman), coaches Ron McBride and Dick Vermeil, former NFL player and inaugural inductee Olin Kreutz, inaugural inductee and past NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, former NFL player and Class of 2015 Inductee Ray Schoenke, sportscaster Neil Everett and NFL Network chief national reporter Steve Wyche.
“The Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award has become one of the most prestigious awards in all of college football,” said Jesse Sapolu, Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Chairman, Co-Founder and Inductee. “This award means so much to our people as it showcases the tremendous impact that our Polynesian student-athletes are having on the game of football, and gives us an opportunity to share our culture with the world.”
Five finalists for the 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award will be unveiled on Dec. 3 and the winner will be announced on Dec. 17. The presentation of the award will be held during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Celebration Dinner on Jan. 18, 2025, at the Sheraton Waikiki, and they will also be recognized during the Polynesian Bowl the day prior.
UTSA has been picked to finish second in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Media Poll. The Roadrunners will kick off the 2024 season on Saturday, Aug. 31, when they host Kennesaw State at 2:30 p.m. at the Alamodome.
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