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Utah Football Earns Six Spots On All-Big 12 Teams
12/5/2024 11:00 AM | Football
DALLAS – The University of Utah Football program earned postseason honors through the league today with six student-athletes earning Big 12 All-Conference, highlighted by the Utes' two first-team selections in offensive lineman Spencer Fano and tight end Brant Kuithe.
Along with Fano and Kuithe's first-team nods, defensive end Van Fillinger and punter Jack Bouwmeester earned second-team honors while defensive tackles Junior Tafuna and Keanu Tanuvasa were named to the honorable mention squad.
Now a four-time all-conference honoree, Kuithe leaves Utah with 60 career games and 32 starts, finishing his career with 183 receptions for 2,387 yards and 22 touchdowns. He leads all tight ends in program history in receptions and receiving yards, ranking third all-time among all players in both categories as well as receiving touchdowns.
At the end of his 2024 season, Kuithe had caught a pass in 41 straight games that he had appeared in, the longest-active streak by a tight end in the FBS. He wrapped up the 2024 season with 35 catches for 505 yards (6 TD) and eight rushes for 26 yards (2 TD).
Fano, a sophomore out of Spanish Fork, Utah, has played in 25 career games for the Utes in the past two seasons with 24 starts (13 at RT, 11 at LT). He started all 12 games in 2024 at right tackle, only allowing one sack all season with his 91.4 overall grade on Pro Football Focus ranking No. 1 in the country.
Fillinger leaves behind a lasting legacy for Sack Lake City, playing in 48 career games with 37 starts as a defensive end. He'll leave Utah with 137 total tackles in his career that includes 28.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks.
This season, Fillinger led the defensive line with 44.0 tackles (9.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks), also grabbing five pass breakups, a quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and a blocked kick. His 6.0 total sacks this season puts him in a tie for fifth in the Big 12.
Bouwmeester, out of Bendigo, Australia, is in his third season with the Utes with 39 career games under his belt. The two-time all-conference first-team selection has 154 career punts to his name for 6,711 yards (43.6 ypp) with 60 landing inside the 20-yard line and 33 going for 50-or-more yards.
In 2024, Bouwmeester punted 60 times for 2,680 yards, averaging 44.7 yards per punt, which ranks first in the Big 12 and 19th in the FBS. He ranks in the top-10 all-time at Utah in career punts (8th), punting yards (8th), yards per punt (6th) and 50+ yard punts (7th).
Tafuna joins Kuithe as a four-time all-conference selection after earning three nods during Utah's time in the Pac-12, playing in 48 career games for the Utes with 45 starts. His 45 starts included a streak of 43 straight games that he had appeared in.
Tafuna wrapped up his career with 108 total tackles on the defensive line, which includes 15.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. In 2024, Tafuna finished with 31 tackles (3.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) along with a career-high four passes defended, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Rounding out Utah's All-Big 12 selections is sophomore Keanu Tanuvasa, who has played in 24 games in his two seasons at Utah, starting 19. The Mission Viejo, California, native racked up 17 total tackles in 2024, including 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack, adding four pass breakups.
Along with Fano and Kuithe's first-team nods, defensive end Van Fillinger and punter Jack Bouwmeester earned second-team honors while defensive tackles Junior Tafuna and Keanu Tanuvasa were named to the honorable mention squad.
Now a four-time all-conference honoree, Kuithe leaves Utah with 60 career games and 32 starts, finishing his career with 183 receptions for 2,387 yards and 22 touchdowns. He leads all tight ends in program history in receptions and receiving yards, ranking third all-time among all players in both categories as well as receiving touchdowns.
At the end of his 2024 season, Kuithe had caught a pass in 41 straight games that he had appeared in, the longest-active streak by a tight end in the FBS. He wrapped up the 2024 season with 35 catches for 505 yards (6 TD) and eight rushes for 26 yards (2 TD).
Fano, a sophomore out of Spanish Fork, Utah, has played in 25 career games for the Utes in the past two seasons with 24 starts (13 at RT, 11 at LT). He started all 12 games in 2024 at right tackle, only allowing one sack all season with his 91.4 overall grade on Pro Football Focus ranking No. 1 in the country.
Fillinger leaves behind a lasting legacy for Sack Lake City, playing in 48 career games with 37 starts as a defensive end. He'll leave Utah with 137 total tackles in his career that includes 28.5 tackles for loss and 19.5 sacks.
This season, Fillinger led the defensive line with 44.0 tackles (9.0 TFL, 6.0 sacks), also grabbing five pass breakups, a quarterback hurry, one forced fumble and a blocked kick. His 6.0 total sacks this season puts him in a tie for fifth in the Big 12.
Bouwmeester, out of Bendigo, Australia, is in his third season with the Utes with 39 career games under his belt. The two-time all-conference first-team selection has 154 career punts to his name for 6,711 yards (43.6 ypp) with 60 landing inside the 20-yard line and 33 going for 50-or-more yards.
In 2024, Bouwmeester punted 60 times for 2,680 yards, averaging 44.7 yards per punt, which ranks first in the Big 12 and 19th in the FBS. He ranks in the top-10 all-time at Utah in career punts (8th), punting yards (8th), yards per punt (6th) and 50+ yard punts (7th).
Tafuna joins Kuithe as a four-time all-conference selection after earning three nods during Utah's time in the Pac-12, playing in 48 career games for the Utes with 45 starts. His 45 starts included a streak of 43 straight games that he had appeared in.
Tafuna wrapped up his career with 108 total tackles on the defensive line, which includes 15.0 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. In 2024, Tafuna finished with 31 tackles (3.0 TFL, 0.5 sack) along with a career-high four passes defended, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Rounding out Utah's All-Big 12 selections is sophomore Keanu Tanuvasa, who has played in 24 games in his two seasons at Utah, starting 19. The Mission Viejo, California, native racked up 17 total tackles in 2024, including 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack, adding four pass breakups.
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