The BYU Cougars kick off the 2025 season in 54 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 54 - redshirt sophomore middle linebacker Siale Esera - by providing three interesting, fun facts:
Fun fact No. 1 - He turned down the SEC and Big Ten for BYU
Coming out of Timpview High School in 2023, Siale Esera was a big-time recruit. He was a four-star prospect from Rivals and had offers from some of the nation's top programs, including Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, UCLA, and a host of other solid schools. Rivals ranked Esera as the No. 4 prospect in the state of Utah before he committed to BYU.
Fun fact No. 2 - He could start at MLB and have a monster season
After Harrison Taggart's surprising transfer to Cal, the middle linebacker position came open on Jay Hill's defense. Enter Siale Esera. Both Ourlads and the Deseret News have penciled him in as BYU's starter this year. The way BYU's defense has been constructed could lead to Esera having a massive season.
Defensive tackles Keanu Tanuvasa and Justin Kirkland, both new transfer additions, should give the Cougars the best defensive tackle play the team has seen in years. Fellow linebackers Jack Kelly and Isaiah Glasker have NFL potential and will require a lot of attention from opposing offensive lines, giving Esera the freedom to blow up plays from the second level.
Fun fact No. 3 - He's finally healthy
During his 2023 redshirt season, Siale dealt with a Lisfranc injury while appearing in five games with 19 tackles and an interception. Last year, his redshirt freshman campaign, he was limited for most of the season still dealing with the lingering effects of his foot injury. He appeared in five games last year with five tackles and a sack, including bringing down Shedeur Sanders in the Alamao Bowl.
Reports coming out of Provo are that the 6-foot-3, 245-pound linebacker is fully healthy this year.
Through two seasons limited by injury, BYU fans have only seen tantalizing glimpses of what the four-star prospect can do. A fully-healthy Siale Esera playing in this version of Jay Hill's defense could have a dominant season this year.