Versatile assistant coach Ilaisa Tuiaki announced via social media Tuesday that he will be joining Kalani Sitake's staff at BYU.

Tuiaki changed his Twitter avatar to one with the BYU logo and released the following statement on Instagram:

"I want to say thank you to everyone for the love and support in this exciting transition that my family and I are going through.

"Thank you Gary Andersen for the opportunities through the years to grow. Gary has been like a coaching father during my time as a graduate assistant at Utah to my first opportunity at a Division I job at Utah State. A big thank you to the many coaches that have helped me through the years and players and players' families whose lives I've been fortunate enough to be a part of. Thank you Oregon State and Beaver Nation for the opportunity to contribute to this great program.

"I am excited to see you succeed next year. And thank you to BYU and Cougar Nation for the hospitable and warm welcome you've extended me. I'm excited for the future and can't wait to meet and work with the team. We've got a great man and head coach in Kalani and I couldn't be more excited to be with him on this journey. Go Cougs!"

A former Timpview High, Snow College and Southern Utah player, Tuiaki has coached at Kearns High, Utah, Utah State, Utah again and Oregon State.

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He has also coached every position groups except quarterbacks and defensive backs. In 2013, he was the only noncoordinator nominated for the Broyles Award, which goes to the nation's top assistant coach.

Email: amorton@deseretnews.com

Twitter: UtahMortReport

Blog: TheMortreport.com

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