If you want to survive in the NIL era of college athletics, you'd better become an adept navigator of the transfer portal (cough, cough, Dabo Swinney). Kalani Sitake, freshly extended with BYU football, is traversing the ever-changing landscape with ease.
BYU's head coach and his staff have been busy in the transfer portal, reaching elbow-deep into the bag to pull out some new toys for next year's team to play with. Not even halfway into the month of January, and BYU has announced the addition of three offensive linemen in former Washington Husky, Paki Finau, Utah State Aggie, Jr Sia, and Stanford... Cardinal (?) Zak Yamauchi.
Clearly keeping sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier safe in the pocket, and opening up running lanes for the returning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, LJ Martin, is top priority for a Cougar team hoping to win 11-plus games for the third straight season.
BYU football lands three offensive line transfers out of the portal.
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 13, 2026
🏈 Paki Finau, Washington
🏈 Jr Sia, Utah State
🏈 Zak Yamuchi, Stanford pic.twitter.com/sIvXuNOYlu
To compete with the likes of Texas Tech in this upcoming season, BYU football will need a powerful offensive line to counter the brutally stiff defensive front of the Red Raiders. Bolstering the offensive line took no time at all.
Paki Finau, a former four-star recruit out of high school, has been heavily recruited by BYU for years now. Out of high school, BYU offered him. When he entered the transfer portal, BYU offered him before he ultimately returned to Washington. Now on their third attempt, the Cougars finally swayed Finau to ditch purple and gold for royal and white. Finau will be a sophomore next season.
Yamauchi will also be a sophomore next season. An interior offensive lineman capable of filling any of those middle three spots, his versatility could be critical if the Cougars find themselves shallow on OL depth during the season.
Sia, a former standout at Herriman High School, joined Utah State back in 2022 and only got his first taste of game action in 2025, where he started in 10 games and finally got the chance to flash his potential. Sia will be a junior in his first season in Provo.