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Talanoa Hufanga

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Talanoa Hufanga
refer to caption
Hufanga at the 2018 All-American Bowl
No. 29 – San Francisco 49ers
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (2000-02-01) February 1, 2000 (age 24)
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.
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 as of 2023
Total tackles:181
Sacks:2.0
Forced fumbles:2
Forced fumbles:2
Pass deflections:14
Interceptions:7
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Talanoa Hufanga (/ˌtɑːləˈnoʊə huˈfʌŋə/ TAL-ə-NOH-ə hoo-FUNG-ə;[1] born February 1, 2000) is an American professional football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and was drafted by the 49ers in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Early life

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Hufanga attended Crescent Valley High School in Corvallis, Oregon.[2] He played safety, wide receiver, and quarterback. 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.[3] Hufanga committed to the University of Southern California (USC) to play college football.[4][5][6]

College career

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As a true freshman at USC in 2018, Hufanga played in eight games with five starts before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone.[7] 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.[8] Hufanga returned to USC as a starter his junior year in 2020.[9][10] He and BYU quarterback Zach Wilson were selected as co-recipients of the 2020 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award.[11] For the 2020 season, Hufanga was a Consensus All-American.[12] In addition, he won Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.[13]

College statistics

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Year G Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Solo Ast Tot Loss Sk Int Yds Avg PD FF
2018 8 31 20 51 3.5 0.0 0 0 0.0 4 0
2019 10 58 32 90 7.5 3.5 0 0 0.0 3 2
2020 6 40 22 62 5.5 3.0 4 90 22.5 1 2
Career 24 129 74 203 16.5 6.5 4 90 22.5 8 4

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench 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 s 1.63 s 2.65 s 4.39 s 6.96 s 35.5 in
(0.90 m)		 10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)		 12 reps
All values from Pro Day[14][15]

Hufanga was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round, 180th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft.[16] He signed his four-year rookie contract on May 13, 2021.[17]

During his rookie campaign, Hufanga appeared in 15 games and made three starts.[18] In the Divisional Round of the 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.[19][20]

In Week 4 of the 2022 season, against the Los Angeles Rams, he had 52-yard pick six in the 24–9 victory.[21] He started in all 17 regular season games and all three playoff games for the 49ers in the 2022 season. He had 97 total tackles, four interceptions, nine passes defended, and two forced fumbles.[22] He earned a Pro Bowl nomination and first team All-Pro honors.[23][24] He was ranked 78th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.[25]

In Week 11 of the 2023 season, Hufanga suffered a torn ACL and was placed on injured reserve on November 21, 2023.[26] He finished the 2023 season with ten appearances, all of them being starts.[27] Without Hufanga, the 49ers reached Super Bowl LVIII but lost 25–22 to the Kansas City Chiefs.[28] On December 7, 2024, Hufanga was activated from injured reserve.[29]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast TfL Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR TD
2021 SF 15 3 32 24 8 1 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2022 SF 17 17 97 66 31 5 2.0 9 4 61 15.3 52T 1 2 0 0
2023 SF 10 10 52 39 13 1 0.0 3 3 48 16.0 28 0 0 0 0
Career 42 30 181 129 52 7 2.0 14 7 109 15.6 52T 1 2 0 0

Personal life

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Hufanga is of Tongan descent. He is the son of Tevita and Tanya Hufanga and has a brother named TJ.[30][31] Hufanga also trains with Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.[32][33]

He is the cousin of Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu and Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu.[34]

References

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  1. ^ "How 49ers Pro Bowl Safety, Talanoa Hufanga, uses his Platform to Honor the Tongan Community". YouTube.com. NFL. May 9, 2023. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Lundeberg, Bob (August 19, 2017). "Prep football: CV's Hufanga remains hungry, humble". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  3. ^ Whelan Jr., Tim (October 12, 2017). "Top-rated athlete Talanoa Hufanga first in his school's history to receive Army All-American jersey". USA TODAY High School Sports. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Nemec, Andrew (December 23, 2017). "Report: Talanoa Hufanga, nation's No. 1 athlete, signs with USC over Oregon, others". OregonLive. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  5. ^ Lundeberg, Bob (December 28, 2017). "Prep football: CV's Hufanga headed to USC". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  6. ^ Lundeberg, Bob (December 30, 2017). "Prep football: Hufanga lands with dream school". Corvallis Gazette Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Grosbard, Adam (December 15, 2020). "Talanoa Hufanga peaking at right time for USC defense". Orange County Register. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  10. ^ Kartje, Ryan (December 10, 2020). "Talanoa Hufanga has become USC's everywhere man on defense". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  11. ^ Lundquist, Casey (January 12, 2021). "Zach Wilson Named 2020 Polynesian Player of the Year". SI.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  12. ^ "Consensus All-America Teams (2020-2022)". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  13. ^ "Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Winners". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  14. ^ "Talanoa Hufanga Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  15. ^ "Talanoa Hufanga, Southern Calofirnia, SS, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Posey, Kyle (May 1, 2021). "The 49ers select S Talanoa Hufanga out of USC with Pick No. 180 in the fifth round". Niners Nation. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  17. ^ Links, Zachary (May 13, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/13/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  18. ^ "Talanoa Hufanga 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  19. ^ "Divisional Round - San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers - January 22nd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers - October 3rd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  22. ^ "Talanoa Hufanga 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "2022 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  24. ^ "2022 NFL All-Pros". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  25. ^ "2023 NFL Top 100". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  26. ^ Wagoner, Nick (November 20, 2023). "49ers All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga has torn ACL". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 25, 2023.
  27. ^ "Talanoa Hufanga 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  28. ^ "Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs - February 11th, 2024". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  29. ^ "49ers Activate S Talanoa Hufanga from IR, Downgrade DL Nick Bosa to OUT vs. Bears and More Roster Moves". 49ers.com. December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 8, 2024.
  30. ^ Grosbard, Adam (April 29, 2021). "Talanoa Hufanga's roots in Tonga prepared him for USC and the NFL draft". Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  31. ^ Kruse, Ethan (January 8, 2022). "Talanoa Hufanga - Being Present". His Huddle. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  32. ^ "Hufanga explains why he didn't use social media while at USC". NBC Sports Bay Area & California. December 11, 2022. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  33. ^ Grosbard, Adam (March 23, 2021). "USC's Talanoa Hufanga training with Troy Polamalu ahead of NFL draft". Orange County Register. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  34. ^ Greenspan, Dan (December 15, 2020). "Family ties lead USC's defense into Pac-12 title game". The Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
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