PROVO — When the 2019 BYU football roster was released Wednesday, coinciding with the Cougars’ first practice, there were some familiar names that had been missing. And there were some new names.
Tight end Joe Tukuafu, who redshirted at BYU in 2017 and wasn’t a part of the program in 2018, is back.
“He’s a tight end. He has an 87 jersey right now,” said coach Kalani Sitake. “We’ll need his presence on the line of scrimmage.”
Tukuafu provides the Cougars with even more depth at a position that also includes Matt Bushman, Moroni Laulu-Pututau and Hank Tuipulotu.
He’s a tight end. He has an 87 jersey right now. We’ll need his presence on the line of scrimmage. – BYU coach Kalani Sitake on Joe Tukuafu
Before his mission to Argentina, Tukuafu signed a letter of intent with Utah State. Upon returning from his mission, he decided to enroll at BYU. However, USU refused to grant the 6-foot-4, 265-pound sophomore a release from his NLI. Tukuafu was forced to redshirt in 2017.
One of the newcomers to the program is linebacker Pepe Tanuvasa, a 6-1, 226-pound sophomore from Tigard, Oregon, who has transferred from Navy. He is expected to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules. Tanuvasa played in all 13 games at Navy last season and recorded 32 tackles.
Meanwhile, junior Kavika Fonua has been switched from running back to the defensive side of the ball.
“He’s playing linebacker right now. We feel like we have a lot of guys at the running back position,” Sitake said. “He’ll be able to help us out at linebacker. He’s played there before. He’s played safety and linebacker. With his speed and his ability to cover a lot of ground, he can help us there. He has some experience playing so it won’t really be brand new for him to be on the field.”