KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, in association with the Cliff Harris Award, announced that Tai Lologo of Keiser (Fla.) was named the 2024 Cliff Harris Award recipient. Lologo, a defensive end for the Seahawks, was selected as the second annual winner of the award as the top defensive player in the NAIA.

Announced live on Saturday during the beginnin of the third quarter at the 2024 NAIA Football National Championship, on the NAIA Network powered by UEN. Lologo was earlier named the Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

A cornerstone of the Seahawks’ defense, Lologo appeared in eight games, starting three, and recorded 22 tackles during conference play, including three tackles for loss. His efforts have been instrumental in leading a KU defense that allows just 18.2 points per game. This season, Lologo has 16 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles, averaging 3.0 per game from his defensive line position. He recorded one sack recovered two fumbles.

The Cliff Harris Award is awarded annually to the top defensive player in small college athletics, including NCAA Divisions II and III as well as the NAIA recipient. Named after NFL Hall of Famer Cliff Harris, the award is presented by the Little Rock Touchdown Club in coordination with a selection committee from each division or association. The NAIA recipient was selected by the NAIA All-America Selection Committee, made up of head coaches throughout the nation.

The finalists for the 2024 award were the Defensive Player of the Year from the 13 conferences and/or divisions in the NAIA. They were Quincy Robinson of Bluefield (Va.), Hunter Peck of Carroll (Mont.), Parker Fryar of Northwestern (Iowa), John Argo of Grand View (Iowa), Zac Kramer of Baker (Kan.), AJ Hemphill  of Ottawa (Kan.), Bradley Myers of Evangel (Mo.), Chad Holleran of Georgetown’s (Ky.), Clayton Mosher of Indiana Wesleyan, Marquise Cross of Saint Francis (Ind.), Jayden Heartwell of Dickinson State (N.D.), Isiah Cotton of OUAZ (Ariz.), and Tai Lologo of Keiser (Fla.).