HONOLULU - A trio of Bulldogs has been named to the preseason watch list for the 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award, announced by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame on Thursday. Fresno State saw Tuasivi Nomura, Daniel Taumalolo and Mose Vavao on the preseason watch list, the most Bulldogs recognized by the organization in a season.
The award is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry that epitomizes great ability and integrity. The watch list is composed of 96 players from 37 different FBS schools.
Nomura enters 2024 in a promising role for the Bulldogs' defense, looking to fill in for the loss of five-year Bulldog linebacker Levelle Bailey. Nomura transferred to Fresno State from USC in January 2023, but suffered an injury during the spring that sidelined him until October. He appeared in eight games and started one last season.
Taumalolo enters his third season with the Bulldogs, joining as a junior college addition in 2022. He played in five games in 2023, including the bowl game, and was able to use a redshirt season to allow for eligibility in 2024. He has played in 16 games in the two years, and earned three starts with two at left tackle and one at right tackle.
Vavao finds himself on the prestigious watch list for the second consecutive season. Vavao returns in 2024 as one of the most experienced players on the roster, leading an experienced offensive line unit in a new role at center this season. The native of Newark, Calif. has played at both left guard and right guard in his Bulldog career. Vavao was a second team All-Mountain West selection in 2023, starting all 13 games at right guard.
He has been an anchor on the Bulldog offensive line throughout his career, having started in 42 consecutive games of 46 career games played dating back to 2020. Vavao returns in 2024 as Fresno State's team leader in career games started (42) and is second on the team in games played (46).
The Watch List candidates have been selected based on past performance and future potential. Additions to the list will be made as the 2024 season progresses. The finalists and winner will be chosen by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee which includes former NFL Player and Inaugural Inductee Jack "The Throwin' Samoan" Thompson (Chairman), Coaches Ron McBride and Dick Vermeil, former NFL Player and Inaugural Inductee Olin Kreutz, Inaugural Inductee and past NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, former NFL Player and Class of 2015 Inductee Ray Schoenke, sportscaster Neil Everett, and NFL Network Chief National Reporter Steve Wyche.