SAN ANTONIO — Former UTSA linebacker Josiah Tauaefa has signed a free agent deal with the New York Giants of the National Football League and he will report to the team's rookie mini-camp, which is scheduled to begin May 4.
Tauaefa, a native of Corinth, Texas, agreed to terms with the Giants immediately following the conclusion of the final round of the NFL Draft on Saturday evening, his agency confirmed.
"I'm blessed to have this opportunity and thankful to the New York Giants for giving me a shot," Tauaefa said. "I've been working very hard and praying for this moment. I can't wait to get up there for mini-camp and start playing football again."
Tauaefa led the Roadrunners with 113 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three quarterback hurries in 2018 on his way to being named one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, which recognizes the nation's top linebacker. He also tallied 62 solo stops and a pair of forced fumbles and was named honorable mention All-Conference USA by the league's head coaches.
The first player in program history to forgo remaining eligibility and enter the NFL Draft, Tauaefa registered double-digit tackles in six contests as a junior, including five of the final six weeks, and his 113 stops stand as the second-best season in program history behind the 115 he posted in 13 games as a freshman in 2016.
"Josiah is very deserving of this opportunity and I could not be happier for him and his family," UTSA head coach Frank Wilson said. "He has worked so hard to get to this point in his career, and I know he will represent the Roadrunner Family in a way that will make all of us very proud. His contributions to UTSA will be cemented in our history forever."
Tauaefa burst onto the scene as a redshirt freshman in 2016, becoming the program's first-ever Freshman All-American and also collecting C-USA Freshman of the Year and first-team all-league accolades while helping lead UTSA to its first bowl game, the Gildan New Mexico Bowl. He posted nine tackles for loss, six sacks and a pair of pass breakups to go along with his school-record 115 stops.
Despite missing more than a third of his sophomore season due to injury, Tauaefa tallied 29 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack, two PBUs and a fumble return for a touchdown.
The Lake Dallas High School product finished his collegiate career ranked second on UTSA's career chart with 257 total tackles, 136 assisted tackles and 121 solo stops. He also stands third in program history with 11.5 sacks and fourth with 22.5 tackles for loss.
