When he arrived at BYU in 2023 after starring at Hawaii’s Kahuku High and serving a church mission in San Jose, California, Ace Kaufusi believed it was only a matter of time before he made an impact on the Cougars’ defense.
A three-star prospect out of high school, Kaufusi joined a long list of cousins and uncles who had played for BYU, and had turned down offers from Utah, Utah State and Hawaii to suit up for the Cougars. At the end of the 2023 season, he got some playing time against the Oklahoma schools, and recorded five stops in the near-upset of the nationally ranked Sooners.
His future in Provo looked bright. But in 2024, BYU brought in Weber State transfer Jack Kelly to play the rover linebacker position, and Kelly blossomed into a star, and a probable future NFL draft pick. Kaufusi contributed a lot on special teams last year, but appeared in only six games and had just one tackle.
“My time at BYU has 100% been about staying patient,” the 6-foot-4, 237-pound redshirt sophomore said Wednesday. “I came in when we had Max Tooley, Ben Bywater and AJ Vongphachanh. Now we have two All-American candidates in Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly. That’s how my whole life has been — preparing as if your moment is tomorrow, so when it does come you don’t have to worry or be afraid that you are not ready.
I feel ready to meet the moment if I am called upon.”
That moment will likely come Saturday when No. 18 BYU travels to rainy Tucson to take on 4-1 Arizona at Arizona Stadium (6 p.m. MDT, ESPN2).
Kelly sustained an apparent upper-body injury in the first quarter of last Friday’s 38-24 win over West Virginia and did not return to the game. Although he was in full pads at practices earlier this week, all while wearing a green jersey that signals he is off limits to contact, Kelly was listed as doubtful on BYU’s Big 12-mandated initial injury report released Wednesday night.
Another injury report update will be released Thursday night.
Four other linebackers — Glasker, Miles Hall, Naki Tuakoi and Siale Esera — are listed as probable. Hall, also a redshirt sophomore, is the third-string rover on BYU’s depth chart behind Kelly and Ace Kaufusi.
Kaufusi said he is “100% ready” to play and play well if Kelly can’t go.
“I am absolutely ready,” said Kaufusi, who has made five tackles in 2025, including one takedown for a loss, along with recording two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. “I think that is the strength of our defense. We all prepare as if we are going to start. If anything happens, we have people who can step in and continue to make plays.”
Hall, who prepped at Skyline High in Salt Lake City, has made 10 tackles, including five against West Virginia while filling in for Kelly and Glasker, who also did not play from scrimmage in the second half.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who are ready,” said Kaufusi. “These guys are like my brothers, they really are. I have learned a lot from them. We all trust each other. I think that is the strength of our room.”
A linebackers room that was going to be the unquestioned strength of the defense is suddenly thin; UCLA transfer Choe Bryant-Strother is out for the season with a knee injury.
“Coach (Justin) Ena has trained us all to play all the (linebacker) positions,” Kaufusi said. “We are all interbred. Like last game, I played some Sam. We have a lot of good Macks, too. We will be fine.”
In his weekly press briefing Monday, head coach Kalani Sitake said Ace Kaufusi “did a great job” filling in for Kelly and Glasker.
“You have to give a lot of credit to Siale Esera, too. He has been that other starting linebacker that nobody talks about enough. Siale can keep our guys lined up and get the calls communicated.”
Sitake said Maika Kaufusi — Ace’s cousin — and Utah State transfer Max Alford also played well against the Mountaineers.
“We feel really good about the depth there at linebacker, and obviously we feel good about the depth in a lot of our positions,” Sitake said. “We just don’t want to keep testing it, but we know that we can. We can go to more guys if we need to, and we have more guys that we can use. If Jack and Isaiah aren’t able to go, we feel comfortable with that room, and I feel comfortable with the way Justin (Ena) coaches and prepares them.
“I feel good overall about everything, and it’s the unfortunate part about a violent sport. Sometimes guys get banged up, but we’re really hopeful that they’ll be back this weekend.”
More on Ace Kaufusi and his ties to BYU
Ace Kaufusi has three cousins on the team, the aforementioned Maika Kaufusi, defensive end Orion Maile-Kaufusi, and defensive end Viliami Po’uha, whose mother is a Kaufusi. Former BYU linebackers Isaiah and Jackson Kaufusi are also his cousins.
“We all treat each other like brothers, though,” Ace said. Another of the Kaufusi cousins, Ammon, plays for Arizona and is a graduate of Salt Lake City’s Highland High.
Yes, the third-year linebacker’s first name is really Ace. He is the son of Victor and Moniqueca Kaufusi, and was named after his uncle, whose given first name was difficult to say and spell so family members started calling him Ace as a nickname.
“Ace like the hardware store,” said Ace. “Absolutely easy to spell.”
Ace Kaufusi is majoring in experience design and management in the Marriott School of Business and is a junior academically.
“The business school is challenging, but we learn so much. The spiritual aspect is high in our room as well.
“So shoutout to the (experience design) program,” he said. “I love all my teachers. They are great as well.”
