HONOLULU-Tuesday morning, BYU junior signal-caller Zach Wilson was named the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame’s College Football Co-player of the year.
Wilson, who has declared for the NFL Draft, ending his collegiate eligibility, is sharing the award with USC safety Talanoa Hufanga.
Wilson, whose middle name is “Kapono,” is of Hawaiian ancestry and Hufanaga is of Samoan ancestry.
Wilson was third nationally in passing yards (3,692 yards) and touchdown passes (33) and only threw three interceptions in 2020.
He set a new school record by completing 73.4 percent of his passes (2nd nationally) and also rushed for 255 yards and 10 scores for the Cougars.
Wilson finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy voting.
Hufanaga led the Trojans in tackles (62), interceptions (4) and forced fumbles (2).
Hufanaga was named as the Pac-12’s defensive player of the year and became a consensus All-American in 2020.
Other finalists for this award included Ohio State defensive tackle Haskell Garrett, Hawaii linebacker Darius Muasau and Boise State receiver Khalil Shakir.
Previous winners include current Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota (Oregon), current Baltimore Ravens tackle Ronnie Stanley (Notre Dame), former Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau, current Minnesota Vikings defensive end Hercules Mata’afa (Washington State), current Miami Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama) and current Oregon tackle Penei Sewell.
Sewell is a former football star at Desert Hills High School of St. George.
