The BYU Cougars kick off the 2025 season in 21 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 21 - redshirt senior running back Enoch Nawahine - by providing three interesting, fun facts:
Fun fact No. 1 - He originally committed to Boise State, then Utah State
Coming out of Kahuku, Hawaii, in the class of 2018, Enoch was a two-star prospect with a 76 grade from 247 Sports. He was the No. 18 prospect coming out of Hawaii that year and originally committed to the Boise State Broncos as a walk-on. He ultimately opted not to enroll at Boise State and instead landed with the Utah State Aggies. In his 2019 freshman season in Logan, he appeared in 10 games with 16 carries for 53 yards before departing on a mission.
Fun fact No. 2 - He scored a massive touchdown against SMU last year
After one season with the Aggies, Nawahine transferred to BYU in 2022. As he enters his redshirt senior season, it's unlikely he's going to tote the rock very often for the Cougars. Proven, talented guys like LJ Martin, Sione Moa, and Pokai Haunga are ahead of him on the depth chart. But injuries happen, especially at running back, and Enoch will be ready if called upon.
In two seasons with BYU he has 31 carries for 99 yards and one career touchdown. And that touchdown was a memorable one. Last year BYU faced SMU on the road in a slug fest. The Cougars had the ball, facing fourth-and-1 from the SMU 11, and Enoch took it to the house. BYU went on to close out an impressive 18-15 road victory against the Mustangs.
Fun fact No. 3 - He's a returned missionary and speaks Chichewa
Enoch's two-year missionary service for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints saw him assigned to the Zambia Lusaka mission from 2020 to 2022. According to his player profile at BYU's team website, he speaks Chichewa, which is spoken in several African countries in the region where he served.