The BYU Cougars kick off the 2025 season in 42 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 42 - redshirt sophomore linebacker Petey Tuipulotu - by providing three interesting, fun facts:
Fun fact No. 1 - He's from the wonderful Tuipulotu family
The last name Tuipulotu is synonymous with BYU football. Petey's father, Peter, played fullback at BYU from 1987 to 1991. His brothers Hank and Ben also played football at BYU. According to his player profile at BYU's website, his mother, Mo Wolthuis, played basketball at BYU, so Petey pretty much bleeds BYU blue. It's nice to have another Tuipulotu on the roster.
Fun fact No. 2 - He has seen the field for BYU, but hasn't recorded a tackle
As a member of the class of 2020, Petey was a three-star prospect with an 80 overall rating from 247 Sports coming out of Fort Mill, South Carolina. His 247 Sports profile doesn't list any competing offers for the hybrid safety/wide receiver prospect at that time. He has now transitioned to linebacker for the Cougars.
COMMITTED⚪️🔵⚪️🔵 #gocougs pic.twitter.com/yKU7u6PRuo
— Petey Tuipulotu (@peteytui) August 12, 2019
Now a redshirt sophomore as he enters his 2025 campaign, Tuipulotu has appeared in four games over the course of two seasons with the program. During his redshirt 2023 season he appeared in one game without recording any stats. Last year, his redshirt freshman campaign, he appeared in four games but once again didn't record any defensive stats. Perhaps 2025 is the year Petey gets his name etched into the box score.
Fun fact No. 3 - He's a returned missionary
Like many of his teammates before him, Petey is a returned missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He served in both Las Vegas, Nevada and Costa Rica during his voluntary, full-time missionary service. His player profile notes that he speaks Spanish, a skill likely learned during his mission. Que bueno!