Utah DE Mika Tafua Accepts Invitation To Shrine Bowl
Dec 29, 2021, 6:43 PM
Quarterback Cameron Rising #7, defensive end Mika Tafua #42 and wide receiver Britain Covey #18 of the Utah Utes celebrate the team's 38-10 victory over the Oregon Ducks to win the Pac-12 Conference championship game at Allegiant Stadium on December 3, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES – Utah football junior defensive end Mika Tafua has accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Bowl in Las Vegas.
Mika Tafua is the second Utah player that will participate in the Shrine Bowl and the third Ute to play in a postseason college football all-star game. He joins Bamidele Olaseni in the Shrine Bowl. Devin Lloyd will be playing in the Senior Bowl.
The Shrine Bowl brings in some of the best players in college football that are eligible for the NFL Draft.
Invite Accepted‼️
The #ShrineBowl is excited to announce that @Utah_Football DE Mika Tafua, has accepted his invite to the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl!
@ShrinersHosp | #ShrineBowlRoadToVegas🚘 pic.twitter.com/QhmC7hxxws— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) December 28, 2021
Tafua originally signed with BYU out of high school as a four-star recruit. After serving a two-year church mission, he decided to join the Utes in 2017. As a redshirt junior in 2021, Tafua has 48 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, one fumble recovery, one forced fumble, three quarterback hits and three pass breakups.
Tafua leads the Pac-12 in sacks and the Utah defensive line in tackles. Last week, Tafua announced that he will forego his senior season and enter the 2022 NFL Draft. He is the fifth Utah player that will skip his senior year and declare for the NFL Draft, joining Devin Lloyd, T.J. Pledger, Cole Fotheringham and Nephi Sewell.
The Shrine Bowl will take place on Thursday, February 3, 2022 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. The game will begin at 6 p.m. MT on the NFL Network.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com, Co-Host of Faith, Family and Football podcast with Clark Phillips III and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports.
