The BYU Cougars kick off the 2025 season in 45 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 45 -- sophomore defensive end Viliami Po'uha -- by providing three interesting, fun facts.
Fun fact No. 1 - He flipped his commitment from Utah to BYU
Coming out of Bingham High School in the class of 2021, Po'uha was a three-star talent with an 84 grade at 247 Sports. He held offers from Utah, UNLV, and Washington State before committing to the Utes. One of the factors pulling him to Utah was the fact that his father, Sione, was on Kyle Whittingham's staff. While Viliami was serving a mission, his father left Utah to join Kalani Sitake's staff in Provo, and the younger Po'uha ultimately did the same.
Another stripling warrior has returned home with honors and ready to report.
— #IamJackDamuni 🇫🇯 (@JackDamuni) January 3, 2024
Welcome home Elder Vili Pouha, great job representing the Lord and your family, but now it’s time to say goodbye to the mission field and report to the @BYUfootball field.
GO COUGS!!!🤟🏾 pic.twitter.com/V8BIiTCCr2
Fun fact No. 2 - He contributed as a freshman last year
It's not uncommon for freshmen who have recently returned from a two-year church mission to not see the field during their first year back. It often takes a while to get back into playing shape at the Power Four level after two years away from the game. But last year Viliami bucked that trend. In 2023 he appeared in all 13 of BYU's games recording nine tackles (seven solo).
Fun fact No. 3 - He should contribute even more this year
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 265 pounds on the team's roster, he's primed to build on last year's freshman success. While the general consensus is that Logan Lutui and Bodie Schoonover have the inside track to starting this year, Po'uha is going to push to start. At worst he should be a regular rotational player who gets a number of meaningful snaps each week.
With the attention BYU's revamped interior defensive line should attract, defensive ends like Viliami Po'uha should have ample opportunities to get to the quarterback.
He cut his teeth as a freshman last year.
2025 could be the year that Viliami Po'uha starts cutting down quarterbacks.