By Staff, SuperWest Sports
December 10, 2023
Here are all of the Pac-12 Football Defensive Freshmen of the Year winners as selected by a vote of the coaches from its inception in 2009 through 2023.
Arizona’s Vontaze Burfict won the first award and California’s Cade Uluave earned the last award in the final year of the Conference.
From 1999 to 2008, the Conference did not distinguish between Defensive Freshmen and Defensive Freshmen of the Year, simply choosing one overall Freshman of the Year.
Below you’ll also find a table listing award counts by program with the most recent year won.
All-Time Pac-12 Defensive Freshmen of the Year
| Year | Player | Position | Program |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cade Uluave | LB | Cal |
| 2022 | Lander Bartpm | LB | Utah |
| 2021 | Junior Tafuna | DT | Utah |
| 2020 | Noah Sewell | LB | Oregon |
| 2019 | Kayvon Thibodeaux | DE | Oregon |
| 2018 | Merlin Robertson | LB | Arizona State |
| 2017 | Colin Schooler | LB | Arizona |
| 2016 | Taylor Rapp | DB | Washington |
| 2015 | Cameron Smith | LB | USC |
| 2014 | Adoree' Jackson | CB | USC |
| 2013 | Myles Jack | LB/RB | UCLA |
| 2012 | Leonard Williams | DE | USC |
| 2011 | Dion Bailey | LB | USC |
| 2010 | Junior Onyeali | DE | Arizona State |
| 2009 | Vontaze Burfict | MLB | Arizona State |
Breakdown of Winners by Program
| Program | Winners | Most Recent |
|---|---|---|
| USC | 3 | 2015 |
| Oregon | 2 | 2020 |
| Utah | 2 | 2022 |
| Arizona | 1 | 2017 |
| ASU | 1 | 2018 |
| Cal | 1 | 2023 |
| UCLA | 1 | 2013 |
| Washington | 1 | 2016 |
| Colorado | 0 | — |
| OSU | 0 | — |
| Stanford | 0 | — |
| WSU | 0 | — |