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BYU Football: Position Preview – Defensive Line

By Ron Jensen

GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 03: Defensive lineman Tomasi Laulile #48 of the Brigham Young Cougars in action during the college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at University of Phoenix Stadium on September 3, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cougars defeated the Wildcats 18-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 03: Defensive lineman Tomasi Laulile #48 of the Brigham Young Cougars in action during the college football game against the Arizona Wildcats at University of Phoenix Stadium on September 3, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cougars defeated the Wildcats 18-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Kalani Sitake has a reputation for extraordinary defensive lines at his past coaching stops. With some big time recruits, it’s time to see if they can live up the hype.

With losses of starters Kesni Tausinga and Handsome Tanielu to graduation, and Sione Takitaki to a position change, BYU Football has some replacing to do.  Lucky for them, there are some young talented prospects waiting for a chance. Let’s take a glance at who’s in the mix:

The Ends

End (strongside)

Korbin Kaufusi (6’9, 280, Sr) is the lone full-time starter that returns from the 2018 roster on the defensive front.  This athletic giant had 67 tackles in his 13 games.   He looks to build his resume for the 2019 NFL Draft.

His younger brother, Devin Kaufusi (6’7, 250, Fr) has taken possession of the back-up role. Devin lacks the strength of Korbin or Bronson, but seems to have a little more speed than his older siblings. A threat from the edge gives BYU football a much-needed boost in this part of the field.

End (weakside)

Trajan Pili (6’2, 247, Jr) appears to be in prime position to take over this spot. Last season, he played in all thirteen contests, making 17 tackles, and even starting once.  As part of the 2013 recruiting class, Trajan choose BYU football over Nebraska, Oregon, Utah, and Stanford.

Uriah Leiataua (6’4, 263, So) will back up here. He played in seven games and had five tackles in 2017.  If you’re curious about his talents, he reportedly runs a 4.8 forty and back in 2014 he had offers from Wisconsin, Stanford, USC and UCLA, just to name a few.

We also need to mention the wildcard at this position. Langi Tuifua (6’3, 227, So) was the “crown jewel” of the 2017 recruiting class. Rated as a 4-star prospect by 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN, BYU football expects big things from him. Teams from the Big 10, Pac 12, ACC, and even the SEC wanted this guy.

Last season, he had 10 cameos with 7 tackles. Not many people have said much about him this off-season, and looked like he would have a similar role to last year.

That was until the 2018 Football Team poster came out a few weeks ago. It shows previous and projected starters, but with one addition.

Langi Tuifua.

To me, this means that either the coaching staff is expecting big things from the sophomore, or Kalani Sitake is extremely good friends with his parents.

I’m going with the former. Look for Tuifua to have a huge impact on the BYU defense this season, if not start at this position.

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