Junior Tafuna: DT · Utah · #58.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Junior Tafuna
Controls the point of attack and doesn't move. Fourth year in the same defensive front at Utah. All-Pac-12 in 2023 made it two straight seasons on the honors list. On tape: 5 tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss against BYU, Week 11, 2024.
Play style
The heaviest frame on the interior. Sack production is intentionally not the point of this profile.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
31 tackles. 3 passes defended. 1 interception. 3 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
The Salt Lake Tribune Nov 2
KJZZ Oct 29The Salt Lake Tribune Oct 27
KUTV Oct 23Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Game log · Week-by-week
2024 season · 10 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 49-0vs Southern Utah | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 23-12vs Baylor | 4 | 1 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | W 38-21@ Utah State | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 22-19@ No. 14 Oklahoma State | 4 | 3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | L 10-23vs Arizona | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 19-27@ Arizona State | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 11 | L 21-22vs No. 9 BYU | 5 | 0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | Season-high 5 tackles |
| Wk 12 | L 24-49@ No. 18 Colorado | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 13 | L 28-31vs No. 22 Iowa State | 2 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 3 | |
| Wk 14 | W 28-14@ UCF | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 31 | 9 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 1 | 3 |
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
TFL rate
10%3 TFLSack rate
2%0 sacksHurry rate
6%2 hurries31 tackles · 3 for loss · 0.5 sacks · 1 interception.
4 seasons under Kyle Whittingham — 33-20 over that span.
Splits · Per-game
2024 season · 10 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home5g | 3.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.6 |
| Road5g | 3.2 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 3.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Weeks 8+4g | 3.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.8 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kyle Whittingham
Pass share
47.6%
358 pass / 394 run
Plays / game
62.7
12 games
Team sack rate
6.5%
370 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced.
Player standing · 2024
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive lineman who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
How it ended
Four seasons at Utah, 108 tackles — the college career is complete.
A stat line in 39 games over four seasons.
Trophy case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-PAC-12 · 2ND TEAM
All-Pac-12 2nd team (2023)
Coaching lineage · 2020–2024
1 coachPlayed every college season under Kyle Whittingham.
