BYU Football: Sione Takitaki may be the key to a successful Defense

Sione Takitaki is back at linebacker for BYU Football. His athletic skill set will be heavily tested and relied upon to lead the Cougar defense.

Of all the position battles and changes on both sides of the ball for BYU Football, the change for senior linebacker Sione Takitaki may be the most intriguing. Takitaki has had an interesting and influential college career at BYU so far.

Coming into the program as a linebacker during his freshman and sophomore seasons, he played in 17 combined games and tallied a total of 40 tackles and 11 tackles for a loss. He then red-shirted in 2016, but came back in 2017 and contributed as a starting defensive end for the Cougars.

BYU Football Head Coach Kalani Sitake and Defensive Coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki have followed through with similar position changes in the past. In 2016, Harvey Langi – originally a linebacker – was given a high amount of snaps at the defensive end position. Langi is now a linebacker for the New England Patriots in the NFL.

Now entering his senior season for BYU, Takitaki is returning to familiarity. Set to play linebacker once again, he’ll assist Butch Pau’u  and converted safety Zayne Anderson – both beginning their senior seasons.

Even though it’s a familiar role he’s played before, it’s still a change in position. That means making adjustments and high focus as assignments are learned and mastered. However, a stellar senior season doesn’t seem too much to ask for from Takitaki, as he’s one of BYU’s best returning defensive players, according to Pro Football Focus:

This doesn’t come as a surprise, as the Cougar defender has great athleticism, which helped him set career highs in tackles for loss and sacks in his very first game as a defensive end. He finished the 2017 season leading the team in tackles for loss at 12.5. The switch to defensive end proved successful, but having Sione back at Linebacker feels like a strong and much-needed move.

The exhausted 2017 Cougar defense is looking for rejuvenation, and Takitaki’s experience and knowledge in past positions may be significant as the Cougars look to fill the hole left by former linebacker Fred Warner – now in the NFL – and take on a Power 5 filled September schedule. It is crucial that the adaptable and willing defender we have seen in Sione from the past is present this season.

In order to truly put an abysmal 4-9 record behind, the Cougar defense cannot digress. Here’s to hoping this change for Takitaki will help bring out the best of his skill set, and ultimately improve the Cougars’ arsenal on the defense.