Talanoa Hufanga

Talanoa Hufanga (born February 2, 1999) is an American football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC.

Talanoa Hufanga
No. 29 – San Francisco 49ers
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (2000-02-01) February 1, 2000
Corvallis, Oregon
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Crescent Valley (Corvallis, Oregon)
College:USC (2018–2020)
NFL Draft:2021 / Round: 5 / Pick: 180
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Tackles:32
Pass deflections:2
Touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Hufanga attended Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Oregon.[1] He played safety and wide receiver. As a senior in 2017, he was the Polynesian High School National Player of the Year. He played in the 2018 U.S. Army All-American Game.[2] Hufanga committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football.[3][4][5]

College career

As a true freshman at USC in 2018, Hufanga played in eight games with five starts before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone.[6] He finished the season with 51 tackles. As a sophomore in 2019, he started all 10 games he played in and recorded 90 tackles and 3.5 sacks.[7] Hufanga returned to USC as a starter his junior year in 2020.[8][9] He and BYU quarterback Zach Wilson were selected as co-recipients of the 2020 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award.[10]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0+3⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 199 lb
(90 kg)		 32 in
(0.81 m)		 9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		4.64 s1.63 s2.65 s4.39 s6.96 s35.5 in
(0.90 m)		10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)		12 reps
All values from Pro Day[11][12]

Hufanga was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round, 180th overall, of the 2021 NFL Draft.[13] He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 13, 2021.[14]

During his rookie campaign, Hufanga played mainly on special teams and sparingly on defense. He appeared in 15 games, of which he started three.[15] In the Divisional Playoffs against the Green Bay Packers, he recovered and returned a blocked punt for a critical touchdown which eventually set up a 13-10 victory for the 49ers.[16][17]

Personal life

Hufanga is the son of Tevita and Tanya Hufanga. He has one brother named T.J. Hufanga.[18] Hufanga is a Christian.[19]

References
  1. Lundeberg, Bob (August 19, 2017). "Prep football: CV's Hufanga remains hungry, humble". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  2. "Top-rated athlete Talanoa Hufanga first in his school's history to receive Army All-American jersey". USA TODAY High School Sports. October 12, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  3. Nemec, Andrew (December 23, 2017). "Report: Talanoa Hufanga, nation's No. 1 athlete, signs with USC over Oregon, others". OregonLive. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  4. Lundeberg, Bob (December 28, 2017). "Prep football: CV's Hufanga headed to USC". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  5. Lundeberg, Bob (December 30, 2017). "Prep football: Hufanga lands with dream school". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  6. Grosbard, Adam (October 10, 2019). "How Talanoa Hufanga overcame two collarbone breaks to become one of USC's defensive leaders". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  7. Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (December 7, 2020). "Talanoa Hufanga a relentless defensive machine in USC's win over Washington State". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  8. Grosbard, Adam (December 15, 2020). "Talanoa Hufanga peaking at right time for USC defense". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  9. Kartje, Ryan (December 10, 2020). "Talanoa Hufanga has become USC's everywhere man on defense". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  10. Lundquist, Casey (January 12, 2021). "Zach Wilson Named 2020 Polynesian Player of the Year". SI.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  11. "Talanoa Hufanga Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  12. "Talanoa Hufanga, Southern Calofirnia, SS, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  13. "49ers Select S Talanoa Hufanga with the No. 180 Pick in the 2021 NFL Draft". 49ers.com. May 1, 2021.
  14. "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/21".
  15. "Talanoa Hufanga 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  16. "Divisional Round - San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers - January 22nd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  17. Larrabee, Kirk (January 27, 2022). "Jordan Willis tells the story behind his famous blocked punt -- and why it was such a twist of fate for the 49ers". 49ers Webzone. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  18. Grosbard, Adam (April 29, 2021). "Talanoa Hufanga's roots in Tonga prepared him for USC and the NFL draft". Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  19. Kruse, Ethan (January 8, 2022). "Talanoa Hufanga - Being Present". His Huddle. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
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