In this day and age of social media, rarely does a name pop up on the roster of a major college football program without any forewarning whatsoever from the myriad of recruiting bloggers and recruiting services out there.
But that is what happened earlier this week as the name Journee Tonga appeared on the 2026 BYU football roster beside the number 20 and the note that Tonga is a 5-foot-8 running back from Leuzinger High in Lawndale, California.
Who is this guy? That’s what reporters who have covered BYU for years asked each other and BYU coaches after the school posted its roster online on Wednesday and handed out printed copies minutes before the first practice of preseason training camp concluded.
A BYU football spokesperson confirmed Thursday that Tonga is a preferred walk-on, meaning he’s not on scholarship.
We will let BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick tell you more:
“He’s a high school player we really liked. He’s from Los Angeles (area) and a really good student,” Roderick said. “Like, he’s a super student, a really sharp kid who got into school here on his own. He’s picked up the offense really fast. I am excited to see what he can do. He was a very good high school player.”
That’s putting it mildly.
Tonga was named the Daily Breeze All-Area Player of the Year last December while playing the role of a Swiss Army knife, kind of like what former BYU quarterback Taysom Hill has done in the NFL. Tonga played quarterback for the Olympians as a sophomore, then as a junior, he ran for 2,267 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 9.3 yards per carry.
As a senior, he ran for 1,334 yards while also playing quarterback (again) for three games when the starter was injured, and as a slot receiver.
All told, Tonga rushed for 4,030 yards and 48 touchdowns in his three-year high school career and had 791 receiving yards.
“You can never underestimate the heart of a champion,” Leuzinger coach Jason Miller told the Daily Breeze. “Whenever we have needed him or had to have it for the last two years, he came through.”
After Day 1 of the Cougars’ fall camp, senior superstar running back LJ Martin was also impressed with Tonga, a three-star prospect who had only one scholarship offer, from San Jose State. Tonga apparently committed to BYU last January, according to KSL Sports, but was not listed among BYU’s signees in February of 2026.
“He knows the playbook pretty well already for someone his age,” Martin said. “So I am really impressed. I think he’s going to be really good.”
The newcomer Tonga — it is unclear whether he is related to former BYU greats Khyris Tonga and Manase Tonga — joins fellow true freshman Devaughn Eka in BYU’s running backs room along with expected primary contributors Martin, sophomore Sione Moa and senior Preston Rex.
“Sione Moa is full go, 100% ready. He looks great,” Roderick said, “and then I am really excited about the improvement that Preston Rex has made since last year. He got thrown into a tough situation. He wasn’t really a running back, and he had to learn to play it on the fly and he did make some good plays for us last year in the open field.”
With a full year under his belt, Rex “really looks more like a running back now,” Roderick continued. “He really knows what he’s doing out there, and then Devaughn Eka has done some great things. Devaughn Eka will get some playing time this year. He’s been impressive as well.”
