FORT WALTON BEACH, Florida — BYU safety Raider Damuni was today named a nominee for the 2026 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy. The award recognizes student-athletes who use their platforms to serve others and make a positive impact in their communities, while excelling in the classroom and on the field.
Damuni, a 6-1, 210-pound senior from Provo, Utah, has played in 39 games for BYU over the past three years, only missing a couple of games due to injury. Over three seasons he has tallied 90 tackles with three tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a sack and an interception.
In addition to success on the field, Damuni has a 3.61 GPA in Experience Design (EXDM) in the Marriott Business School, one of the top business schools in the country. Damuni was recognized as Academic All-Big 12 in 2025, CSC Academic All-District in 2024 and been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll twice in 2024 and 2025.
A two-year team captain on the field, Damuni is also an example of service in the community. He has been involved in a variety of service activities locally and internationally. He traveled with BYU football head coach Kalani Sitake and others this summer to Nuku’alofa, Tonga, to set up the BYU-Pathway Worldwide program call center in Tonga that will help individuals obtain higher education and improve business English communications skills, with the goal of having better employment opportunities.
Earlier in the year he and teammate Ace Kafusi organized a service project to help communities along the North shore of Oahu, Hawaii, that were hit hard with major flooding. He also makes regular visits to patients at Utah Valley Hospital who are struggling with illness. In addition, Damuni speaks regularly at local school and church events to inspire local youth to pursue education, and value learning and discipline. He served a two-year volunteer mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the California Oakland-San Francisco Mission (2021-23) and currently serves as young men’s advisor in his local church congregation.
Damuni also volunteers regularly to help serve hot meals and distributing food boxes to homeless and others in need of emergency shelter at the Food & Care Coalition of Provo. He has also partnered with the Utah Pork Producers Association and local meat processors to unload, pack, and distribute 35,000 pounds of donated protein to families statewide for the Utah Food Bank of Salt Lake City.
For the third-straight year, Allstate is partnering with the Wuerffel Foundation to unify two of college football’s most meaningful community service honors — the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. Named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy winner and former University of Florida quarterback, the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy reflects his lifelong commitment to leadership, service and unity.
Last year BYU safety Tanner Wall was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team and was a finalist for both the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy and the Pop Warner College Football Award.