PROVO — At least five BYU football players — quarterback Joe Critchlow, linebacker Kavika Fonua, defensive end Uriah Leiataua and defensive backs Troy Warner and Chris Wilcox — will compete in the 2020 college football season, if there is one, as college graduates.
The five seniors who have a year of eligibility remaining will join 87 other BYU student-athletes in getting their diplomas this year and are part of BYU’s Class of 2020, the school’s athletic department announced recently. BYU defines the class as those graduating between December 2019 and August 2020.
“Hey Ma! We made it!,” Leiataua posted on his Instagram account. “I’m proud to be a first-generation college grad!”
Leiataua, from Compton, California, chose BYU and then-coach Bronco Mendenhall in 2014 over an offer from Stanford, then served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Apia, Samoa. He majored in experience design and management.
Fonua, Warner and Wilcox all graduated in exercise and wellness, by far the most popular major for BYU student-athletes. Critchlow graduated in finance and has put his name in the transfer portal. Critchlow has received plenty of interest from other schools and has a lot of options, but the pandemic has slowed the process down considerably, a family member told the Deseret News.
“Each year, BYU graduates some of the most remarkable student-athletes in the country and this year is no exception,” said Trevor Wilson, director of the Student Athlete Life and Learning Center at BYU in a school news release.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all graduating students at BYU missed a formal graduation exercise, including the 91 student-athletes.
The student-athletes earned degrees in 29 different disciplines. The list includes some of the most high-profile athletes at the school, including baseball’s TJ Haws, Yoeli Childs, Dalton Nixon, Zac Seljaas and Brenna Chase Drollinger, golf’s Spencer Dunaway and Rose Huang, gymnastics’ Shannon Evans, soccer’s Elise Flake and Alyssa Jefferson, women’s volleyball’s McKenna Miller and Miki Jauhiainen of the No. 1-ranked men’s volleyball team that was a favorite to win the national championship before its season was halted by the coronavirus.
BYU’s 91 student-athlete graduates, major and graduation month
BASEBALL
Bo Burrup, communications, April 2020
Brock Hale, experience design and management, December 2019
Brian Hsu, Chinese, April 2020
Jordan Wood, exercise science, December 2019
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Yoel Childs, exercise and wellness, April 2020
TJ Haws, finance, April 2020
Taylor Maughan, exercise science, June 2020
Dalton Nixon, exercise and wellness, June 2020
Zac Seljaas, exercise and wellness, June 2020
Evan Troy, exercise and wellness, April 2020
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Brenna Chase Drollinger, April 2020
Shalae Salmon, public health, August 2020
Khaedin Taito, exercise and wellness, April 2020
FOOTBALL
Samuel Baldwin, Japanese, April 2020
Trevor Brent, accounting, April 2020
Joe Critchlow, finance, April 2020
Kavika Fonua, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Tanner Jacobsen, economics, April 2020
Batchlor Johnson, mass communications, April 2020
Austin Kafentzis, economics, April 2020
Kamalani Kaluhiokalani, math education, April 2020
Uriah Leiataua, experience design and management, June 2020
Austin Lee, exercise and wellness, December 2019
JJ Nwigwe, economics, April 2020
Trajan Pili, exercise science, December 2019
Addison Pulsipher, mechanical engineering, April 2020
Thomas Shoaf, civil engineering, April 2020
Talon Shumway, exercise science, December 2019
Troy Warner, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Austin Whetzel, strategic management, June 2020
Chris Wilcox, exercise and wellness, April 2020
MEN’S GOLF
Spencer Dunaway, psychology, April 2020
WOMEN’S GOLF
Rose Huang, global supply chain management, June 2020
Anna Kennedy, exercise and wellness, April 2020
GYMNASTICS
Shannon Evans, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Briana Pearson, gymnastics, June 2020
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Ella Ballstaedt, art history and curatorial studies, June 2020
Lizzy Braby, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Sabrina Davis, exercise and wellness, December 2019
Elise Flake, family life, April 2020
Alyssa Jefferson, communication disorders, April 2020
Rachel Lyman, exercise and wellness, December 2019
Danika Serassio, exercise and wellness, August 2020
MEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Miki Jauhiainen, computer science, June 2020
Andrew Lincoln, exercise and wellness, April 2020
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL
Sydnie Martindale, exercise and wellness, April 2020
McKenna Miller, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Kiani Moea’i, experience design and management, December 2019
SOFTBALL
Emilee Erickson, communications, April 2020
Ashley Godfrey, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Allie Hancock, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Olivia Sanchez, sociology, April 2020
Libby Sugg, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Lexi Tarro, elementary education, December 2019
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Jarren Brinton, psychology, December 2019
Bryce Farabee, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Nathan Gonzales, statistics, August 2020
Levi Jensen, psychology, April 2020
Kunmi Ogunfeibo, political science, April 2020
James Sorensen, finance, April 2020
WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Taylor Ballard, family studies, December 2019
Casey Cunningham, political science, April 2020
Kaela Call-Harries, economics, April 2020
Kelly Hatanaka, experience design and management, April 2020
Elizabeth Holmes, exercise science, April 2020
Morgan Mellow-Dopp, exercise science, June 2020
MEN’S TENNIS
Davis Ball, philosophy, April 2020
Sean Hill, economics, April 2020
Jeffrey Hsu, sociology, August 2020
Sam Tulles, accounting, April 2020
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Taylah Beckman, communications, April 2020
Hailey Krey, entrepreneurial management, April 2020
Kate Cusick Truman, communications, April 2020
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Blake Ellis, exercise science, April 2020
Chase Heiner, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Tyler Huffaker, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Jefferson Jarvis, communications, April 2020
Cade Perry, economics, April 2020
Porter Reddish, chemical engineering, April 2020
Jameson Shirley, psychology, December 2019
Clayson Shumway, economics, April 2019
Derek Sorensen, psychology, June 2020
Ramarco Thompson, economics, April 2020
WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Erica Birk-Jarvis, family life, June 2020
Emma Gee, communications, April 2020
Olivia Hoj, public health, April 2020
Courtney Isom, communications, April 2020
Brenna Porter, elementary education, December 2019
Cassidy Pinnock, family life, April 2020
Kyndal Stewart, exercise and wellness, April 2020
Courtney Wayment, exercise and wellness, April 2020