Defensive end Tomasi Laulile signs with BYU

PROVO, Utah (Feb. 25, 2013) — BYU head coach Bronco Mendenhall today announced defensive lineman Tomasi Laulile out of Westlake High School in Westlake Village, Calif., has signed a national letter of intent to play at BYU.

“We are excited to have Tomasi coming to BYU,” Mendenhall said. “He is a talented football player who has worked hard to put himself in this position. We look forward to having him be part of our program.”

A 6-foot-3, 265-pound defensive end, Laulile (pronounced Lah-ow-lee-lay) prepped at Westlake as a senior after beginning his high school career at Palmdale (Calif.) High School. He earned All-Marmonte League honors and was selected to the annual postseason Canyon vs. Coast Classic all-star game that pits the top high school players from Southern California against their counterparts from Arizona.  

In 2012, Laulile totaled 52 tackles, including 35 solo takedowns, while registering 10 sacks, six quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. An excellent pass rusher, he recorded a sack in each of his team’s final six games and had multiple sacks during three outings. He tracked down the quarterback a season-high three times in the Warriors’ win over Simi Valley and recorded two sacks and 10 tackles, including a high of nine solo tackles, against Moorpark.

Completing BYU’s 2013 recruiting class, Laulile joins two mid-year enrollees and 24 other signees who submitted national letters of intent on Feb. 6 as part of this year’s recruiting class. From Thousand Oaks, Calif., Laulile is the fourth defensive lineman and seventh player from California to sign with the Cougars as part of the 2013 class. In all, 20 high school seniors and seven junior college transfers are newcomers to the program. 

In addition, eight scholarship players—four on offense, four on defense—are returning from Church missions for the 2013 season. The position breakdown of the newcomers, including returning missionaries, consists of nine offensive linemen, two wide receivers, two tight ends, two running backs and one quarterback on offense with seven linebackers, six defensive backs and six defensive linemen on defense.

BYU is coming off an 8-5 season, capped off by a school-record fourth-straight bowl victory—its sixth in eight years and eighth consecutive postseason appearance. No FBS school has won more bowl games in the eight seasons Mendenhall has been at BYU while he has guided the Cougars to a No. 12 overall ranking in total victories with 74.

BYU opens the 2013 season at Virginia on Aug. 31. The schedule also features road games at Utah State, Houston, Wisconsin, Notre Dame and Nevada and home matchups against Texas, Utah, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Boise State and Idaho State.