University of Utah transfer Keanu Tanuvasa has been widely viewed as BYU’s most significant offseason acquisition, but don’t forget about another defensive tackle who could end up giving the Cougars one of the top defensive interior lines in the Big 12.
That would be Oklahoma State transfer Justin Kirkland, who committed to BYU on May 1, a few days after entering the transfer portal on April 28 and about a month after spring football practices concluded in Provo.
However, Kirkland has not been participating in preseason training camp for the Cougars as he recovers from a knee injury sustained after he arrived at BYU.
“I’m just taking care of myself right now,” the 6-foot-3, 340-pound product of West Haven, Utah, and Roy High told the Deseret News last week. “Something happened over the summer, but I will be back sooner than later. I don’t really want to disclose anything, but yeah, tell BYU fans not to worry about it at all.”
Although Kirkland predicts a “quick recovery,” he acknowledged he probably won’t be available to play in the opener against Portland State on Aug. 30.
Coach Kalani Sitake said last week that Kirkland “has got to work through some injuries and we will get him back as soon as possible,” but noted that he is not concerned with the sudden lack of depth at the defensive tackle positions.
One of the projected rotation players when spring camp ended, senior Luke To’omalatai, is “taking care of some personal issues and business” and is no longer in the program, said defensive tackles coach Sione Po’uha.
“Culture-wise and fit-wise, Justin Kirkland is perfect for our program, just like Keanu and the other guys have been,” Sitake said. “Those guys work really well as a unit. They are cohesive and they are unified.”
When Kirkland returns, he will likely rotate in with Tanuvasa and senior John “JT” Taumoepeau, a 6-2, 300-pound transfer from Snow College who appeared in 12 games last year and made one sack and 12 tackles.
Po’uha said that when Kirkland returns, it won’t change the dynamic of the unit at all; he said a couple of the bigger defensive ends, guys such as Bodie Schoonover (6-3, 265) and Viliami Po’uha (6-3, 270) can also play inside if needed.
“Whoever is in there, be it a newcomer or one of the older guys here, the defense is still the defense, and the execution and technique is still the same,” said Sione Po’uha, father of Viliami. “It might be a different person, but the style and motivation remains the same.”
Said Sitake: “The goal is to get the best 11 on the field, and luckily we have coaches who can adapt to the scheme with the best 11 on the field.”
Sione Po’uha said when Kirkland went into the portal after playing two seasons at Oklahoma State and his freshman year at Utah Tech in St. George, BYU coaches jumped at the opportunity to recruit him to Provo.
“Obviously, a lot of other schools wanted him. You always want to improve, whether it be through recruiting or the transfer portal,” he said. “We saw it as an opportunity to improve or fortify the group that we have.”
How Kirkland fits in at BYU, on and off the field
Kirkland is one of about 25 BYU football players on the 2025 roster who are married. After he served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Hawaii, he reconnected with a childhood friend he had known since he was 7 years old, Marlee.
They got married two years ago, and “thoroughly enjoyed” living in Stillwater, according to Kirkland.
However, he decided to enter the transfer portal after the Cowboys went 3-9 last year, but not because he was unhappy there or disenchanted by playing for a struggling program. Rather, he wanted to play closer to home, so his and Marlee’s family could come to his games more easily.
“My family always made it, but you have to be really intentional to get out there. You are an hour from Tulsa, an hour from Oklahoma City,” he said. “By coming home, I am only an hour and a half away from West Haven. My family can drive down the road a bit and see me play. That was really the big thing, coming over to BYU.”
It also helped that he was familiar with the program, although the Cougars didn’t recruit him much out of high school. He’s already played against BYU three times, once while at Utah Tech and twice at Oklahoma State. He said the 38-35 loss to the Cougars last year in Provo was one of the most difficult losses to swallow in his career.
“That one stung,” he said.
Kirkland said when he was in the portal, BYU wide receiver Parker Kingston reached out as well. Kingston also graduated from Roy High in the Ogden area. He was also familiar with BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill, who recruited him when Hill was head coach at Weber State.
“Just talking to those guys, it became apparent they liked me and my game, for sure,” Kirkland said.
Openings on the D line
Kirkland also knew that BYU was losing a lot of defensive linemen to graduation, with starters Tyler Batty, Isaiah Bagnah, John Nelson and Blake Mangelson out of eligibility and Josh Singh transferring to Vanderbilt.
“I saw an opportunity (to play a lot) for sure,” he said. “Obviously they had a fantastic year last year. Big spotlight, lots of exposure. … And you know everybody is going to be dedicated and do their 1/11th here.
“I just gotta do my part, my job, and then fly around to the football, have fun and let loose,” he said. “So yeah, BYU football is always at the top of the radar as far as competitiveness.”
Po’uha described Kirkland as an “always-positive, happy, super comical” guy who brings more leadership to the room, along with Tanuvasa.
“This year we are a little deeper than where we were with that three- or four-man rotation we had last year,” Po’uha said. “So we feel real comfortable with that depth. … We will make sure we are streamlined all the way from the guys who start the game and the guys we shuffle in there.
“I tell my guys that I am looking for two to three sets of starters. That’s why we are right there. We continue to sharpen them so there is no falloff.”
Not in Stillwater anymore
Kirkland, 23, is quick to praise his time at OSU, saying Stillwater was pleasant and not nearly as crowded and busy as the Provo-Orem area. He suggested visitors go to Braum’s in Stillwater “and get a bag of burgers,” but acknowledged his new home has a lot more culinary variety.
And a lot more older players.
“I am used to 17- and 18-year-old freshmen,” he said. “Coming out here, the first guy I talked to said he was 25 and had two kids. I am like, ‘yo, what?’ Seriously, though, both BYU and OSU have the same family-like culture. It is just good to be a part of it.”
