BYU is adding a transfer from Pac-12 territory to its roster.
Former Arizona State offensive lineman Sione Veikoso, who entered the NCAA transfer portal earlier this week, announced Thursday via social media that he is headed to BYU.
Who is Sione Veikoso?
The 6-foot-7, 325-pound lineman hails from Kailua, Hawaii, and was a two-star recruit in the 2018 recruiting class prior to leaving on a two-year church mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He originally committed to Oregon State in 2020 before flipping to Arizona State later that year, according to his 247 Sports recruiting profile.
Veikoso redshirted last year after playing in one game for the Sun Devils and will have four years of eligibility as a redshirt freshman.
He joins former Oregon offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia as the second Pac-12 offensive line transfer to join the Cougar program in recent months.
BYU originally offered Veikoso and was involved in his recruiting efforts prior to him committing to Oregon State.
“At the beginning of my mission other schools kind of fell off,” Veikoso told KHON 2 in 2020 while on a break in his mission due to COVID-19. “It was mainly (Oregon State) and BYU that kept sending emails trying to check up on me.
“When I came back, BYU wasn’t talking as much with me as Oregon State. So I decided to go with Oregon State because they were really going out there. They were really making the effort to get me.”
What happened with Sione Veikoso at Arizona State?
After arriving at Arizona State, he was limited by an injury and academic responsibilities during the spring of 2021, 247 Sports’ Chris Karpman reported.
He ended up playing in the Sun Devils’ game against UNLV that fall.
Prior to ASU’s spring practices this year, The Athletic’s Doug Haller listed Veikoso as the team’s backup at right tackle.