The BYU Cougars will kick off the 2025 season in 70 days against Portland State. As we continue counting down the days until kickoff, today we will profile the player who wears No. 70 - redshirt freshman guard Ikinasio "Iki" Tupou.
Iki Tupou's background
After a stellar high school career in Palo Alto, California, Iki Tupou was one of the key offensive line recruiting targets in BYU's class of 2024. He was a three-star prospect with an 86 rating from 247 Sports coming out of high school. His offer list was impressive sporting the likes of Tennessee, Utah, Washington, the Arizona schools, and several other Pour Four programs.
In the end, Tupou chose BYU.
After enrolling last year he ultimately redshirted in 2024 and didn't appear in any games. With one season now under his belt, Tupou could be a player to watch this summer as BYU's depth chart gets solidified.
Home 🏡… @BYUfootball pic.twitter.com/vpdkuahkk2
— IKI TUPOU (@ITupou71) December 10, 2023
Tupou's potential impact in 2025
The 6-foot-6, 295 pound interior offensive lineman is among a small number of candidates as the primary backup to guards Weylin Lapuaho and Kyle Sfarcioc. Both Ourlads and KSL Sports currently project him as an LG2 in BYU's depth chart, so he's just an injury away from potentially starting this year.
Tupou has largely flown under the radar up to this point. As an 86-rated three-star prospect he didn't get a lot of the hype and notoriety that surrounds high-three-star and four-star recruits. But let's not forget he had an offers from SEC and Big Ten schools, and he saw the best path forward at BYU.
Now entering his second season in Provo, keep an eye on where Iki Tupou ends up on the depth chart, because he could see the field as a redshirt freshman.