The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2026 season in 59 days against Utah Tech. As we count down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 59 - redshirt freshman left tackle Siosiua Latu-Finau.
Siosiua Latu-Finau's background
Hailing from Alameda High School in Oakland, California, Latu-Finau was a solid three-star prospect with an 87 grade from 247 Sports (then playing under the last name Vete). He was the No. 84 prospect in the state of California and the No. 73 offensive tackle nationally coming out of high school. Not surprisingly, he reeled in offers from the likes of Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor and Stanford.
Siosiua almost didn't make it to Provo. He originally committed to Stanford in 2023. His twin brother, highly-touted defensive tackle Kelepi, kept his recruitment open a bit longer and committed to BYU in June 2024. Then, in November 2024, Siosiua decommitted from the Cardinal and decided to become a package deal with his brother to play his college ball in Provo.
The only thing better than having one Latu-Finau at BYU is having two of them.
Latu-Finau's past and present with BYU
As a true freshman last year, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound left tackle appeared in three games for the 12-2 Cougars. He saw action in BYU romps against Portland State, TCU, and UCF. But the fact that he got on the field as a true freshman is a good indication of the long-term potential the coaching staff sees in him.
Since he only played sparingly last year, his 2025 campaign was a redshirt season. He enters 2026 as a redshirt freshman with a full season of experience in Aaron Roderick's system.
While transfer Paki Finau will likely start at left tackle for the Cougars, Latu-Final will be in the thick of the battle to claim the LT2 spot on the two-deep roster. He'll be competing with other young, talented linemen like Andrew Williams for that coveted spot. Either one of these players - Latu-Finau or Williams - could end up as BYU's long-term starter at left tackle. While we never know what can happen in the transfer portal, we know BYU prefers to develop talent from within, and Siosiua has plenty of long-term talent to mine.
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