4 Spartans Named to 2025 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List – SJSU Athletics – Official Athletics Web site

HONOLULU – San José State standout soccer gamers Gafa Faga, Peseti Lapuaho, Taniela Latu, and Quincy Likio have been named to the celebrated 2025 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Watch List, as launched at the moment by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.

“The Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award has become one of the most prestigious honors in college football,” mentioned Jesse Sapolu, Chairman, Co-Founder, and Inductee of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. “It is a source of great pride for our community, recognizing the outstanding achievements of Polynesian student-athletes and giving us a powerful platform to share our culture with the world.”

The award yearly acknowledges probably the most excellent faculty soccer participant of Polynesian ancestry who shows distinctive potential and integrity each on and off the sphere. This 12 months’s Watch List options 81 gamers representing 40 NCAA Division I applications throughout the nation.

The Watch List was compiled based mostly on previous efficiency and potential for the upcoming season, with further gamers eligible to be added because the 12 months progresses. Finalists will likely be introduced on December 9, 2025, with the winner revealed on December 16, 2025. The award will likely be introduced on the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Celebration Dinner on January 17, 2026, in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, and honorees may also be acknowledged on the Polynesian Bowl on January 16, 2026.

San José State’s 4 representatives underscore this system’s sturdy connection to Polynesian heritage and its custom of creating elite athletes who excel each on and off the sphere.

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Gafa Faga, DL, Sr., Alao, American Samoa/Fagaitua HS/New Mexico Military Institute

• Preseason All-Mountain West (2025)
• Phil Steele Preseason Mountain West First-Team Defense (2025)
• Athlon Sports Preseason Mountain West Second-Team Defense (2025)
• All-Mountain West Honorable Mention (2024)
• Phil Steele Mountain West Second-Team Defense (2024)
• Finished 2024 with career-highs in video games performed (13), tackles (46), tackles for loss (4.5), and sacks (1)

Peseti Lapuaho, OL, Sr., West Valley City, Utah/Hunter HS/Weber State

• Preseason All-Mountain West (2025)
• Phil Steele Preseason Mountain West First-Team Offense (2025)
• Athlon Sports Preseason Mountain West Third-Team Offense (2025)
• Started at proper deal with for all 13 video games in 2024
• Part of an offensive line that was ninth within the nation and third within the MW, solely letting up 12 sacks in 2024
• The passing offense completed one of the best within the Mountain West and fifth within the nation, averaging 321.8 yards per sport in 2024

Taniela Latu, LB, Sr-R., San Mateo, Calif./Junipero Serra HS/College of San Mateo

• Phil Steele Preseason Mountain West Second-Team Defense (2025)
• Athlon Sports Preseason Mountain West Second-Team Defense (2025)
• All-Mountain West Honorable Mention (2024)
• Finished 2024 with career-highs in tackles (70), tackles for loss (7), cross breakups (2), pressured fumbles (1), and sacks (1)
• Led crew with eight tackles and one quarterback hurry vs. Stanford (11/29/24)

Quincy Likio, DE, Sr-R., Kapahulu, Hawai‘i/Saint Louis HS/College of San Mateo

• Phil Steele Preseason Mountain West Fourth-Team Defense (2025)
• Finished 2024 with career-highs in tackles (16), tackles for loss (2.5), and sacks (1)
• Missed 9 video games resulting from damage in 2024
• Career-high six tackles with one for loss and first profession sack vs. Kennesaw St. (9/14/24)

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