Just look for the flowing, flapping, curly locks.

If you see the ball and Texas-San Antonio is on defense, Josiah Tauaefa’s mane can’t be far away. After Marcus Davenport’s exit to the NFL as a first-round pick, Tauaefa has assumed the role of the team’s most talented player and the linchpin of one of college football’s best and most underrated defenses. 

Now, 2018 is just about staying healthy. A knee injury turned 2017 from a major breakout season into a frustrating battle to get back on the field. But Tauaefa is well-positioned to reclaim the magic that made him a Freshman All-American in 2016. 

“Josiah is a phenomenal talent. I think he has potential to be a dominant player continuously in this conference. One of the better backers in the country, that I think will play on Sundays,” Roadrunners coach Frank Wilson said. “If not for an injury, his year is even bigger than it was last year. But he’s worked hard, and he looks better than ever in our training sessions. So, we’re expecting big things from him.” 

He set a school record with 115 tackles in his first season on campus, adding nine tackles for loss and six sacks, as well as an interception. 

Wilson’s staff inherited Tauaefa as a barely-recruited commit from Lake Dallas when they came to UTSA in 2015. He was a two-star defensive tackle whose recruiting profile didn’t even include a headshot.

Now, he could be an All-American.

“It took the ability to filter through all that stuff to get guys in the right place where they can be contributors,” Wilson said. “We wanted to stand him up and let him be what he is, an instinctive, very aggressive football player, but yet controlled. In year two, he became more knowledgeable and more savvy.”

He just couldn’t stay healthy. That hair was stuck limping or on the sidelines too often in 2017. It’s back streaking across the field now, and if it stays that way, 2018 will be special for Tauaefa and the Roadrunners.