Moments before last October’s BYU football game against Arizona, linebacker’s coach Justin Ena stood proudly in the coaches’ box high atop LaVell Edwards Stadium and watched his wife Shari deliver the play of the game.
As the Cougar Marching Band belted out the national anthem for all to hear, Shari Ena performed the song in sign language for those who couldn’t.
Shari is deaf — and determined.
“She is so courageous. She is an extrovert and I’m an introvert,” Justin Ena told the “Y’s Guys” podcast this week. “It has been an amazing journey with her because she will put herself out there and then she pulls me along. When she was signing the national anthem, it was amazing.”
Justin makes a living interacting with young linebackers. He prides himself on being clear and concise in the way he teaches the likes of Jack Kelly, Harrisson Taggert, Isaiah Glasker and the others who are fighting for playing time. The success of his message is reflected by how they perform.
Communicating in his marriage requires the same effort with an even greater attention to detail — starting on their first date.
“I had to mouth things really well because she reads lips. When we first started dating, she didn’t have cochlear implants, and so everything was mouthed and I was talking like that,” Justin said. “I’m not a loud person when I’m off the field, so when we would go to restaurants, it could be as loud as possible and all I had to do was mouth (the words) and she would pick up on everything. I thought man, this is awesome!”
Watching Shari conquer her challenge motivates Justin to tackle his.
“It’s cool because she is such a loving person and she has been doing it her whole life,” he said. “Now, I’m trying to learn sign language. I’m still horrible, but I’m trying to figure this out. I need to get better at it.”
Ena was a defensive star for the Cougars between 1998-2001 and led the team in tackles his junior and senior seasons. He also played four years in the NFL, including three with Philadelphia. Ena began coaching in 2008 and two years after meeting and marrying Shari, he returned to BYU in 2023.
Making weight
Among the requirements in the linebackers room this off season is to maintain weight and muscle mass. Isaiah Glasker and company weigh-in every day. Ena wants his guys to tip the scales around 242 pounds heading into fall camp. If they slip, he feeds them.
Glasker led the Big 12’s No. 1-ranked defense last season with 70 tackles, including 14.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions. He arrived at BYU in 2022 weighing 197 and will be 45 pounds heavier when Portland State comes to Provo on Aug. 31.
“They are great kids. They are great human beings. They want to be the best at what they do,” Ena said. “It’s easy for me to coach these guys. The standard is set.”
Position depth
BYU’s Big Three get most of the headlines and deservedly so. Glasker, Taggert and Kelly finished among the top five in total tackles and generated 27 tackles for loss. But Ena is confident in the group right behind them, including Choe Bryant-Strother, Siale Esera, Miles Hall, Maika Kaufusi and Ace Kaufusi.
“I think Ace may have had the best spring of all the linebackers,” Ena said. “He’s done a really good job.”
Ace is a 6-foot-4, 240-pound cousin of Maika and former Cougars Bronson, Corbin, Isaiah and Jackson Kaufusi. The sophomore appeared in six games and had one tackle during last year’s 11-2 season.
“He’s one of those kids who you think is almost too good to be true, because he’s a great human being,” Ena said. “(When) I say something out of line sometimes, I feel like there is a general authority across the way and he’s a 21-year-old kid. It’s cool though. They are some good boys.”
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.