HONOLULU – Washington State defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa was named one of five finalists for the 2017 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award, it was announced Tuesday by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame.
 
During the regular season, Mata'afa led the Pac-12 Conference and is fifth in the country with 21.5 tackles-for-loss while his 9.5 sacks also pace the conference and are tied for ninth-most in the nation. The redshirt-junior from Lahaina, Hawaii has record multiple tackles-for-loss in eight of the 12 games this season and recently earned Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week and Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after making five tackles-for-loss with three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in the win at Utah.

The Cougars are 9-3, ranked No. 21 in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls, own the nation's No. 15 ranked defense and are preparing to face No. 19 Michigan State in the 2017 Holiday Bowl. Last month Mata'afa was named named one of 15 players to watch for The Walter Camp Foundation's 2017 Player of the Year award

In addition to Mata'afa, the other four finalists include Oregon State linebacker Manase Hungalu, Virginia Tech linebacker Andrew Motupuaka, Hawaii linebacker Jahlani Tavai and Washington defensive lineman Vita Vea.
 
The winner of the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award will be announced on December 12. The formal presentation of the Award will be held at the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Celebration Dinner, Jan. 19, 2018, in Honolulu, along with being recognized during the Polynesian Bowl, Jan. 20, 2018.