Talanoa Hufanga is officially and rightly an All-American for USC football

USC football safety Talanoa Hufanga was named an All-American by ESPN

There is justice in the world of college football after all!

On Tuesday, ESPN named Talanoa Hufanga to their All-American first team, ensuring the outstanding safety will take his rightful place on USC football’s All-American Wall.

Any other outcome would have been a travesty.

Talanoa Hufanga was an absolute stud for USC football in 2020

Hufanga led USC with 62 tackles in six games, more than 20 better than any of his teammates. In four of six games, he had double-digit tackle totals. With 5.5 tackles for loss, he tied with Drake Jackson for second on the team. Three of those were sacks.

When it came to producing turnovers, Hufanga was the guy. He had four interceptions and forced two fumbles.

The junior was consistently the best defender on the field for USC, wherever he lined up. He even spent a game serving as a linebacker when depth required.

It’s a shame Hufanga didn’t get a full season to show his stuff, because he might have contended for national awards with a broader body of work. As it is, he’s more than worthy of the All-American nod from ESPN.

He is USC’s first All-American since Ronald Jones II and Uchenna Nwosu in 2017. He is the 169th All-American in Trojan history.

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Having seen other exceptional Trojans finish their career without top honors, it’s fortunate ESPN recognized his exceptional play despite the knocks the Pac-12 took over the legitimacy of this season. More than likely, Hufanga won’t have another chance to contend for All-American honors. He is eligible for the NFL Draft and his play throughout the season suggested he’s ready for the pros.

Hufanga was a second-team pick on Pro Football Focus’ All-American team as well.