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The University of Utah Athletics
Tafuna, Daniels Named To Outland Trophy Watch List
7/26/2022 8:00 AM | Football
DALLAS – Two University of Utah Football student-athletes have earned spots on the 2022 Outland Trophy Watch List with offensive lineman Braeden Daniels and defensive lineman Junior Tafuna representing the Utes.
The Outland Trophy is presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America to the best interior linemen in the country. The winner of the trophy will be announced on Dec. 8 at The Home Depot College Football Awards and will be presented to the recipient at the awards dinner in January 2023.
Daniels, an offensive lineman from Carrollton, Texas, has played in 35 games at Utah with 29 starts between left guard and right tackle. He earned All-Pac-12 in 2021 after he started all 14 games, showing his versatility at both guard and tackle to lead the Utes to a No. 1 rushing offense ranking in the league with the Utes also ranking in the top-10 nationally in sacks allowed per game.
Daniels also started all 14 games in 2021 as a redshirt freshman, dominating at the left guard spot to become the first freshman offensive lineman in the Kyle Whittingham era to start every game in a season.
Tafuna is entering his sophomore season in 2022 after winning Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year last year. He played in 13 games in 2021 with 11 starts, racking up 33 tackles (5.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks), a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
The Taylorsville, Utah, native ranked second among freshmen in the Pac-12 in total sacks with his 4.5 throughout the season, also ranking third on the team in quarterback sacks. He recorded a career-high nine tackles at Arizona last season, also winning Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week after posting three stops that included 1.5 sacks in Utah's regular season win over Oregon.
NEXT UP
With the Utes set to start fall camp in August, time is ticking down as Utah prepares to head to The Swamp in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 3 to take on the Florida Gators. The game will air at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN.
FOLLOW ALONG!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Football | Instagram: @UtahFootball | Facebook: Search Utah Football), along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com for news, schedule and roster updates throughout the season.
The Outland Trophy is presented annually by the Football Writers Association of America to the best interior linemen in the country. The winner of the trophy will be announced on Dec. 8 at The Home Depot College Football Awards and will be presented to the recipient at the awards dinner in January 2023.
Daniels, an offensive lineman from Carrollton, Texas, has played in 35 games at Utah with 29 starts between left guard and right tackle. He earned All-Pac-12 in 2021 after he started all 14 games, showing his versatility at both guard and tackle to lead the Utes to a No. 1 rushing offense ranking in the league with the Utes also ranking in the top-10 nationally in sacks allowed per game.
Daniels also started all 14 games in 2021 as a redshirt freshman, dominating at the left guard spot to become the first freshman offensive lineman in the Kyle Whittingham era to start every game in a season.
Tafuna is entering his sophomore season in 2022 after winning Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year last year. He played in 13 games in 2021 with 11 starts, racking up 33 tackles (5.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks), a pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
The Taylorsville, Utah, native ranked second among freshmen in the Pac-12 in total sacks with his 4.5 throughout the season, also ranking third on the team in quarterback sacks. He recorded a career-high nine tackles at Arizona last season, also winning Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week after posting three stops that included 1.5 sacks in Utah's regular season win over Oregon.
NEXT UP
With the Utes set to start fall camp in August, time is ticking down as Utah prepares to head to The Swamp in Gainesville, Fla. on Saturday, Sept. 3 to take on the Florida Gators. The game will air at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN.
FOLLOW ALONG!
To get an inside look at the Utah Football program, follow the Utes on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Football | Instagram: @UtahFootball | Facebook: Search Utah Football), along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com for news, schedule and roster updates throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
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