New BYU offensive lineman Paki Finau, a transfer from Washington, is a man of many talents.
Some of them even involve football.
Finau, a 6-foot-5, 310-pound native of Victorville, California, is a Renaissance man, of sorts, with interests that go well beyond football. But he’s pretty good at that sport, too, having mostly locked up BYU’s all-important starting left tackle spot midway through preseason training camp.
“Credit these guys for sticking with it and sticking with me.”
— BYU offensive lineman Paki Finau on BYU's recruiting efforts to land him
“Yeah, Paki Finau has done a great job, and he actually could play all the other positions as well,” coach Kalani Sitake said last week. “I think coach (TJ) Woods has done an amazing job with the other coaches that we have with the O line.
“So it’s been great seeing Paki be able to mix in. He can play right or left tackle and he can play right or left guard,” Sitake continued. “So his versatility gives us an opportunity to give some young guys a look and have them be around a guy as talented as Paki.”
Michigan transfer Andrew Gentry is entrenched as the starter at right tackle, giving the Cougars two experienced, mammoth bookends to their offensive line. But Finau is taking nothing for granted, saying he still doesn’t believe he’s won the spot quite yet.
He said redshirt freshman Siosiua Latu-Finau is also in the mix at both tackle spots, and a player BYU fans should keep an eye on. Latu-Finau, from Alameda High in the Oakland area, appeared in three games last year and had a fantastic spring, coaches say.
“Siosiua is really good,” Paki Finau said. “I believe he will be the twos tackle for the right side and the left side. But he’s another guy who can play everywhere. If the guards go down, he can go there, too.”
In the media viewing portion of practice last Monday, Finau slid over to guard for a few plays and Latu-Finau played tackle.
“My biggest thing is I can play anywhere. At this camp, I’ve played guard and tackle. Just being versatile is important to me. Yeah, I’ve been taking mostly left tackle reps, and that is sort of what the team needs me to be, but I’m comfortable anywhere.”
Latu-Finau mostly played guard at Washington, appearing in 16 games over the course of two seasons. He made four starts at guard in 2025.
Why did Paki Finau leave Washington?
A four-star recruit (247Sports) out of Oak Hills High in Hesperia, California, Finau enrolled early at Washington and was able to attend the Huskies’ appearance in the College Football Playoffs national championship game against Michigan on Jan. 8, 2024. When UW coach Kalen DeBoer left Seattle for Alabama, Finau briefly entered the transfer portal, but returned to the Big Ten school.
Because he only appeared in four games in the 2024 season, he was able to call that his redshirt year. In 2025, he “felt valued” by Washington’s coaching staff, but yearned for something else that he couldn’t quite put his finger on when he went into the portal again.
“Washington was a great program,” he said. “I loved my time over there, my teammates, and just the program overall, and the coaches. We were all a big family, but I was too far away from family at times. I did it (transferred) more for my mental health, and because I am closer to family here.”
Finau said he has a lot of family members who live in West Valley City.
Why did Paki Finau transfer to BYU?
Although he is not a member of the faith that supports BYU, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Finau was heavily recruited by both BYU and Utah out of high school. He also had offers from schools such as Miami, Penn State and Oregon.
He said he seriously considered BYU twice before the third time was the charm for the Cougars.
“I actually didn’t know anything about BYU growing up,” he said. “I am not a member (of the church), and I didn’t watch football at all. I also didn’t know much about Washington. BYU offered me when the other staff was here, but I didn’t come and visit. Maybe I should have.”
He also heard from BYU when he went into the portal the first time.
“Credit these guys for sticking with it and sticking with me,” he said.
Finau did visit BYU when he went into the portal the second time, and he says that’s all it took. On the last day of his visit, the recruits and their families were dining with the coaches at Sol Agave restaurant in American Fork when he “just decided to let it rip” and committed to BYU.
“So I left Sol Agave a BYU football player,” he said. “When I got here, I just instantly fell in love with the place.”
Is Paki Finau related to Utah golfer Tony Finau?
Bring up the last name of Finau, and most Utahns think of golfer Tony Finau, one of the state’s favorite sons. Paki Finau is not related to the golfer — Finau is a popular last name in Tonga — but learned about him growing up in California.
“When I was little, I used to search up my last name and the only person who ever popped up was Tony Finau,” he said. “Now that I’m older, I have come to realize how amazing Tony Finau is. But there’s no relation, as far as I know.”
Paki Finau didn’t play any sports growing up, let alone football, until he “got too big to ignore.”
Instead, he learned to play a variety of musical instruments, and he learned how to sing in his Free Church of Tonga choir. Finau, who is majoring in geography, can play the guitar, ukulele, trumpet, tuba and piano.
He’s also pretty handy with a clippers and a pair of scissors, so much so that he cuts his own hair and that of his teammates.