The list includes seven members of the BYU football team — Tausili Akana (defensive end), Raider Damuni (safety), Siale Esera (linebacker), Weylin Lapuaho (offensive line), Logan Lutui (defensive end), Sonny Makasini (offensive line) and Keanu Tanuvasa (defensive tackle).

The Award is presented annually to the outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry that epitomizes great ability and integrity. The 2025 watch list is composed of 81 players from 40 different FBS schools. Candidates for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award were selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list may be made as the 2025 season progresses.

Finalists for the 2025 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award will be unveiled on Dec. 9, with the winner being announced on Dec. 16. The presentation of the Award will be held during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Celebration Dinner on Jan. 17, 2026, and will also be recognized during the Polynesian Bowl on Jan. 16.

Former BYU All-American and current Miami Dolphins quarterback, Zach Kapono Wilson, received the award in 2020 after leading the Cougars to a 11-1 record and a No. 11 final ranking. The junior passed for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns, while completed 73.4 percent of his passes — good for a new BYU record, eclipsing the previous mark held by NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

BYU head football coach Kalani Sitake was inducted into the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on January 19, 2025, at an enshrinement ceremony held at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Laie, Hawai’i.

UVU’s Webber tabbed for Hermann Trophy Watch List

Utah Valley University graduate forward Faith Webber has been named to the 2025 Women’s Hermann Trophy Watch List, United Soccer Coaches announced on Thursday.

The prestigious award is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate soccer player by the Missouri Athletic Club. Webber is among 43 NCAA Division I players on this year’s list, which was compiled by the Division I Women’s All-America Committee from a pool of returning All-Americans and First Team All-Region performers.

Fifteen semifinalists will be named on Dec. 2, with three finalists announced later in the month before the winner is revealed on Jan. 9, 2026, at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

In addition to the Hermann Trophy Watch List, Webber was recently ranked No. 15 on the Top Drawer Soccer National Top-100 Players to Watch List and named to the United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch List. The Grand Blanc, Michigan, native is Utah Valley’s all-time leader in points (109), goals (48), points per game (1.85), and goals per game (0.81). She is the 2025 WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and holds numerous single-season program records, including goals (18), points (38), and shots on goal (56) — all set in 2024 when she led the nation in goals per game (0.95). A three-time First Team All-WAC selection, Webber has helped guide the Wolverines to three straight WAC regular season titles and one NCAA Tournament appearance, earning United Soccer Coaches All-Pacific Region honors in each of her first three seasons at UVU. She was also named a CSC Academic All-American in 2024.

The Hermann Trophy is considered the most prestigious individual award in college soccer and is named in honor of Robert Hermann, a soccer pioneer and founder of the National Professional Soccer League. Past winners include some of the most accomplished players in U.S. and international soccer history.