Utah State Linebacker Named Phil Steele All-American

LOGAN, Utah – Add another postseason honor to Utah State’s cubby after graduate senior linebacker MJ Tafisi Jr. was named as a Phil Steele’s Magazine honorable mention All-American.

Phil Steele’s All-American list was announced on Monday, December 18.

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𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 🇺🇸 @tfs1luv @philsteele042 Magazine Honorable Mention#AggiesAllTheWay | https://t.co/zP8e1eOKAa pic.twitter.com/RjfeSGGCyZ

— USU Football (@USUFootball) December 18, 2023

In his second season at Utah State, by way of the University of Washington, Tafisi Jr. led the Aggies with 131 tackles and two forced fumbles. His 7.5 tackles for a loss are third on the team.

The former Alta Hawk set an Aggie record with eight consecutive double-digit tackle games, finishing with nine on the season. He led the Mountain West with 10.9 stops per game, finishing eighth in the country.

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The 250-pound linebacker is the first Aggie All-American since David Woodward earned the honor in 2019. He is the fifth in school history after Woodward, Kyler Fackrell (2015), Zach Vigil (2014), and Al Smith (1985, 1986).

Tafisi becomes the third Aggie to garner a postseason award after junior wide receiver Jalen Royals was named a College Football Network (CFN) Third-Team All-American and sophomore safety Ike Larsen was named a College Football Network (CFN) Honorable Mention All-American. Tafisi Jr. earned first-team all-Mountain West this season.

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USU (6-6, 4-4) faces the Georgia State Panthers (6-6, 3-5) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Kickoff is at 1:30 p.m. (MT) on Saturday, December 23. The game will be at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho.

Find USU football on KSL Sports Zone with the voices of Scott Garrard and former Aggie quarterback Kevin White (1988-89).

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