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UTSA standout linebacker Tauaefa forgoing senior season to turn pro

Josiah Tauaefa earned All-America honors as a redshirt freshman in 2016.
UTSA middle linebacker Josiah Tauaefa led the Roadrunners with 113 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries as a junior this season. Photo by Antonio Morano (bit.ly/XR79FT) / Special to KENS5.com

SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA football team is going to have a new starting middle linebacker next season.

Junior Josiah Tauaefa, who earned All-America honors as a redshirt freshman in 2016, announced via Twitter on Friday night that he is skipping his senior season to enter the 2019 NFL draft.

Tauaefa released the following statement via Twitter:

“First off, I’d like to thank the Lord for giving me the opportunity to play the sport I love. I also want to thank my family for their constant love and support throughout my entire collegiate career. Lastly, I’d like to thank the University of Texas-San Antonio and everyone that has had a hand in my career here at UTSA as well as all the coaches who have given me an opportunity to compete at the Division I level. With that being said, I am choosing to forego my senior year and declare for the NFL draft. Now and forever, I am a Roadrunner.”

Tauaefa, one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which honors the country’s top college linebacker, led the Roadrunners with 113 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries this season. He also recorded 62 solo tackles and a pair of forced fumbles.

“Josiah certainly developed into one of the best players in UTSA history and that was because of his hard work and dedication to be the best he could be,” Roadrunners head coach Frank Wilson said in a statement Friday night. “He was also an outstanding representative of the university off the field in the way he carried himself and contributed to the community.

“We thank Josiah for all that he did for this program and our university, and we wish him the best of luck as he pursues his professional dream. He’ll always be a Roadrunner for life.”

Credit: David Flores / KENS5.com staff
UTSA middle linebacker Josiah Tauaefa, talking to reporters at the team's annual Media Day this season, earned All-America honors as a redshirt freshman in 2016. Photo by David Flores / KENS5.com

Relentless in his pursuit of ball carriers, Tauaefa anchored the UTSA defense for three seasons and ended his college career as the second-leading tackler in the program’s history with 257. His 113 tackles this season rank No. 2 in program history, behind the 115 he recorded in 13 games as a freshman.

A Lake Dallas High School graduate, Tauaefa signed with UTSA in 2015 and was redshirted his freshman year. He earned his degree earlier this month.

The Roadrunners finished 3-9 overall and 2-6 in Conference USA this season, finishing fifth in the West Division. UTSA played in its first bowl after the 2016 season, Wilson’s first year as head coach, but did not receive a bowl bid last season despite winning six games.

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