Vita Vea was named the Defensive Pac-12 Player of the Year Tuesday afternoon.
The 6-foot-5, 340-pound junior finished 2017 with 38 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Washington’s defense, led by Vita Vea, finished No. 6 in scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 14.5 points per game.
Vita Vea is considered a first round lock if he enters the 2018 NFL Draft. Some experts project Vea as a top-10 pick.
As far as the other major Pac-12 Awards are concerned, Bryce Love won the Offensive Pac-12 Player of the Year and David Shaw was named Coach of the Year.
