Junior Tafuna talks with Dan Clark about growing up in Utah and what made him stay in Utah.

Tafuna Quick Hits 2022 Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team. 2021 Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. 2021 AP Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team. 30 games played as a Ute, starting his last 28 appearances. 2023: Started defensive tackle in three games. Eight tackles on the season (2.0 TFL), with a season-high give at No. 19 Oregon State. Had three tackles and a sack during the fourth quarter vs. No. 22 UCLA. 2022: Started all 14 games. Contributed 27 tackles (3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack), one interception, two QB hurries and a breakup. Season-best six tackles in the Homecoming victory vs. Oregon State. Made five more stops in the game at No. 18 UCLA. Came up with a sack during the Rose Bowl Game vs. No. 11 Penn State. First career interception highlighted a three-tackle day vs. Southern Utah. Logged his first pass breakup of the season at No. 12 Oregon. 2021: Saw action in 13 games on the season, starting at left tackle in the final 11 contests. Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. Recorded 33 tackles (5.5 TFL, 4.5 sacks) along with a fumble recovery and a pass breakup. Put up a career-high nine tackles (1.5 TFL, 1.0 sack) against Arizona. Had four tackles that included a 12-yard sack against No. 18 Arizona State. Recorded three tackles (1.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks) against No. 3 Oregon in the regular season, earning Pac-12 Defensive Line Player of the Week. Logged four tackles in the second game of his career against San Diego State. First career fumble recovery came at Oregon State. Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll. 2020: Did not see action. High School: Three-star recruit out of Bingham HS, rated the No. 7 recruit state of Utah. Second-team all-state as a senior in 2018. Invited to the 2019 Polynesian Bowl. 64 tackles (1.0 sack) and an interception as a senior in 2018. 74 tackles (1.0 sack) and an interception in 2017. Bingham HS won state championships in 2016 and 2017. Personal: Son of Mau and Timote, has four siblings, served an LDS mission in Praia, Cape Verde. His full name is (Junior) Maile Tafuna.