2013 BYU Football Newcomers: Trajan Pili

Here at Lawless Republic we will be profiling all the 2013 signees & return missionaries who will be joining the BYU Football team this season. This will be a daily feature on the site as we count down to Fall Camp.

Trajan Pili

Las Vegas, Nevada; Centennial HS

6-2 | 225

@TRAYcoug9

Before BYU: The Pili name may sound familiar to some Cougar fans, 4 previous Pili’s have come through the program including Trajan’s fathers cousin and former BYU DL  Ifo Pili. Trajan was the first recruit named to this 2013 class, he is a LDS kid who has been a lifetime BYU fan, at Centennial High School Pili earned 1st Team All-State DE honors as well as 1st Team All-League DE and TE honors. In his Sr campaign he notched 63 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 2 FF, 2 FR and 2 PD at defensive end. As a tight end he totalled 13 receptions for 212 yards and 2 TDs. He was also recruited by Stanford, Oregon, Nebraska and Utah just to name a few.

After watching several highlight videos on Pili I love his speed and his determination, he is a guy that will work his butt off and never give up on a play. He brings a lot of speed and power to the DE position. Some of his “moves” remind me of Ziggy Ansah, it is not pretty or perfectly calculated but he does anything to get the quarterback and when he does he makes it count.

2013 Expectations: Redshirt

Depending on when Trajan leaves for his mission he may have a year to sit and learn from guys like Kyle Van Noy, I don’t see him being on the field this year. The other reason I think redshirting Pili is a good idea isn’t because he is not talented enough to come in and contribute right away, it is because the depth at the linebacker position is so deep. He is currently sitting fourth string behind Van Noy. Barring injury or an impressive fall camp, Pili will be hard pressed to see action in the 2013 season..

Potential in BYU Career: High.

Pili has a great work ethic and will work hard for the next two to three years to come back to Provo and have a great chance to walk straight into a starting spot. I see him being a three-year starter and having a legit shot at making an NFL roster in the summer of 2019.