LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Two UNLV players were announced Thursday as members of the Watch List for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award.
Senior wide receiver/kick returner Jacob De Jesus and senior defensive lineman Tatuo Martinson were both part of the 96-player, 37-school list announced by the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding college football player of Polynesian ancestry who epitomizes great ability and integrity.
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 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 reporter Steve Wyche.
Five finalists for the 2024 Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award will be unveiled on December 3 and the winner will be announced on December 17. The presentation of the award will be held during the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Week Celebration Dinner (Jan. 18, 2025) at the Sheraton Waikiki.
De Jesus is a preseason All-American by ESPN (second team), Phil Steele (second team) and Athlon (third team) as well as the 2024 Preseason Mountain West Special Teams Player of the Year. The former junior college transfer was earlier named to the Hornung Award and Jet Award preseason watch lists and was voted First Team All-MW at both kick returner and punt returner. In 2023, De Jesus led the nation in total return yards with 1,079 and was the only player to rank in the top 15 nationally in both kick returns and punt returns. Also catching 60 passes as a junior, he was named Second Team All-America by USA TODAY.
Martinson is also a former junior college transfer who walked on to the squad in 2022 and has become a mainstay on the Rebel front. Popularly known by "Tat," he played in every game last fall, starting 11, and finished with 31 total tackles, including two tackles-for-loss and a quarterback sack in a win at UNR. He also made a key fumble recovery at midfield late in the game to help UNLV win at Air Force.
Under the direction of 2023 Mountain West Coach of the Year Barry Odom, the Rebels will kick off their 57th season of football on August 31 by heading to Big 12 Conference member Houston at 4 p.m. PT on FS1 in the first of a school-record 11 national TV games. The home opener comes one week later when Utah Tech comes to Allegiant Stadium for a noon kickoff on September 7.
Season tickets, three-game mini-plans and single-game tickets for the six-game 2024 home schedule are available now by visiting unlvtickets.com or calling (702) 739-FANS (3267). For information on VIP premium club seats or suites at Allegiant Stadium, contact the Premium Sales office at premiumseating@unlv.edu or by calling (702) 895-0292.
