The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 58 days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 58 - redshirt sophomore left tackle Paki Finau.
Paki Finau's background
Finau prepped at Oak Hills High School in Hesperia, California and was one of the top prospects in the Golden State in the class of 2024. He was a four-star talent coming out of high school with a 90 grade from 247 Sports. He was the no. 23 player in California and the No. 18 interior offensive lineman nationally.
Not surprisingly, he had offers flood in from some of the nation's best programs. Washington and BYU were the first two Power Four schools to offer him way back in 2022. After that he received offers from the likes of Oregon, Nebraska, UCLA, Miami, Penn State, Florida State, and a host of Big 12 schools.
He ultimately chose Washington. As a true freshman for the Huskies in 2024 he appeared in four games while preserving his redshirt season. As a redshirt freshman last year he played in 12 games for Washington with four starts, with all of his starts coming at guard. He also spent some time playing right tackle last season.
— Paki Finau✍🏽 (@pakifinau53) January 15, 2026
Finau's past and present with BYU
As a new transfer to Provo, Latu's time on BYU's campus is limited, but the program has been recruiting him for years. Latu knows BYU's staff, and they know him.
With last year's starting left tackle Isaiah Jatta pursuing his NFL career now, Paki seems to have claimed the LT1 position. He ran with the first string through Spring Camp and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick is very high on him. Left tackle appears to be Finau's position to lose.
And he very well may be the most critical piece to BYU's offense in 2026.
Now, there's a difference between the words "important" and "critical". Quarterback Bear Bachmeier is BYU's most important player on offense, hands down. Running back LJ Martin, the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, is a close second. Those two players, Bachmeier and Martin, will shoulder the bulk of BYU's offense this year.
The reason Paki Finau is the most "critical" member of the offense is because of how much his play at left tackle impacts the offense's ability to generate yards and points. At left tackle he will be protecting Bear Bachmeier's blindside against the best pass rushers a Power Four conference has to offer. When left tackle play is below average, the entire offense suffers. Quarterbacks feel regular pressure coming from their back side, and that makes them antsy in the pocket. Their internal clock goes off a beat early and they force passes. If Paki Finau is just "fine" or "somewhat below average" at left tackle, the ripple effects will be felt along the entire 11-man offensive unit.
His play will be critical for the success of this 2026 BYU squad.
Based on his recruiting profile, solid play at Washington, and ability to immediately earn the trust of BYU's coaching staff, it looks like Paki Finau is up for the challenge.
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