Former East High defensive end Soni Fonua, who has played the past three seasons for the LSU Tigers, is entering the NCAA transfer portal.
Fonua, a fifth-year senior who started his career at Mesa Community College, made the announcement via social media on Thursday.
He has one year of eligibility remaining.
Fonua’s best season at LSU came in 2021, when he started five games and had 27 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss.
In the Tigers’ 27-24 win over Texas A&M, Fonua had four tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a half sack.
He was primarily a backup during his time with the Tigers, appearing in 20 games over the past three years.
The 6-foot-3, 280-pound Fonua was a highly rated JUCO prospect back after he amassed 114 tackles and 4.5 sacks during two seasons at Mesa Community College.
This offseason brought change for Fonua and LSU, as Brian Kelly replaced Ed Orgeron as the Tigers’ head coach.
Fonua was absent during spring practice for “undisclosed reasons,” according to The Advocate’s Wilson Alexander.