Washington State’s Hercules Mata’afa and Washington’s Vita Vea are two of the five finalists for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award, the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame announced Tuesday morning.
Three of the five finalists play in the Pac-12, with the third being Oregon State linebacker Manase Hungalu. The other two finalists are Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai and Virginia Tech linebacker Andrew Motuapuaka.
The award is presented annually to the most outstanding Polynesian college football player that epitomizes great ability and integrity. Former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota was the inaugural winner of the award in 2014, while Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufao won the award last year.