BYU Football announces 2016 recruiting class

PROVO, Utah – Head coach Kalani Sitake today announced BYU’s 2016 football recruiting class, consisting of 23 high school signees and two junior college transfers.

In addition to the 25 signees, BYU welcomes back six scholarship players returning from LDS missions.

“We are excited to announce our 2016 recruiting class,” Sitake said. “We got better across the board, adding speed, size and length. We can’t wait to get this new group here and get to work."

UPDATE: Kainoa Fuiava from Downey, California, signed with BYU Thursday (Feb. 4). The 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman out of Warren High School becomes the eighth recruit from California to sign with BYU and the 15th defensive player and sixth defensive lineman in the Cougars' 2016 class of 26 players. His addition is reflected in the remainder of the information included below.

The class includes 15 defensive players, 10 offensive players and one specialist. The class spans seven states including 12 from Utah, eight from California, two from Hawaii and one each from Arkansas, Colorado, South Carolina and Washington. The 2016 class features five four-star recruits and 15 three-star prospects.

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Offensively, BYU added four offensive linemen, three wide receivers, one tight end, one quarterback and one running back.

On defense the Cougars bring in six defensive linemen, five linebackers and four defensive backs. BYU also brought in one specialist. 

Junior college transfers Jonah Trinnaman and Handsome Tanielu both come from Snow College and are rated four-star prospects. Trinnaman, a 6-foot wide receiver, was rated the No. 5 junior college wide receiver in the nation and was an NJCAA First Team All-American Special Teams honoree. In 2015, he posted 47 receptions, 803 receiving yards and eight touchdowns to go along with 576 kick return yards including a 99-yard touchdown return. Trinnaman averaged 33.9 yards per kick return. Tanielu, at 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, was rated the No. 18 overall junior college prospect and No. 3 junior college defensive tackle. He recorded 36 tackles, 22 solo stops and three sacks in 2015.

Adding depth to the defensive line with Tanielu and Fuiava will be Freddy Livai (6-4, 256, A.B. Miller HS), Atunaisa Mahe (6-1, 293, West Jordan HS), Darius McFarland (6-3, 250, Box Elder HS) and Keanu Saleapaga (6-6, 265, La Mirada HS). Saleapaga is a three-star recruit and the No. 9 defensive end in California by Scout.com. He helped his team to the division III-AA state championship with a 13-3 record, notching seven sacks in 2015.

Other four-star commits include defensive backs Troy Warner (6-2, 185, Mission Hills HS) and Max Tooley (6-2, 195, Bountiful HS) and kicker Skyler Southam (6-0, 185, Wasatch HS).

Warner, a mid-year enrollee, was rated a four-star prospect by Rivals, Scout and 247Sports and was invited to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl. He helped Mission Hills to an 11-1 record and to the semifinals of the 2015 CIF San Diego Section Championships.

Tooley totaled 93 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception in 2015 while earning all-state honors and helping his team to the 4A state playoffs.

In addition to Warner and Tooley, the Cougars add two other defensive backs with Utah-native Drew Jensen (6-2, 195, Brighton HS) and Southern California-product Chris Wilcox (6-2, 175, Eleanor Roosevelt HS) adding depth to the secondary.

Southam, the lone specialist of the 2016 BYU class, earned the distinction of Army All-America in 2015. Over the course of his career, he converted 114 of 116 PATs and 36 of 53 field goal attempts in four seasons with a career-long 53-yarder and 93 points scored as a senior. He set the Utah record for most field goals in a single season with 20 in 2015.

The Cougars bolstered the linebacking corps, signing three players from Utah who were all rated three stars in Solofa Funa (6-2, 225) out of Spanish Fork High, Jackson Kaufusi (6-2, 210) from Brighton High and Timpview’s Keenan Pili (6-3, 210). Standouts from Hawaii and California also join the position group including Hirkley Latu (6-3, 200, Kahuku HS) out of Hawaii and Alema Pilimai (6-4, 205, Tustin HS) from California.

Joining Trinnaman at receiver will be Aleva Hifo (5-10, 180, Heritage HS) from Menifee, California, and Mack Richards (6-1, 190. Alta HS) out of Sandy, Utah. Hifo, a three-star rated recruit, caught 22 passes for 548 yards and nine touchdowns and carried the ball 63 times for 488 yards and nine scores as a senior. Richards comes to BYU after serving a mission in Mexico. As a senior in 2013, he hauled in 65 catches for 1,089 yards and 13 touchdowns for an average of 16.8 yards per reception. He recorded 3,268 all-purpose yards over the course of his high school career, including three punt returns and three kickoff returns for touchdowns.

Hank Tuipulotu (6-3, 225, Nation Ford HS), from Fort Mill, South Carolina, is the only tight end of the signing class. The son of former BYU running back Peter Tuipulotu had 125 catches for 1,725 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior after totaling 1,322 yards, 105 receptions and 17 scores as a junior.

The one quarterback in the signing class is Maple Mountain’s Jaren Hall (6-1, 195), and the running back is Sione Finau (5-11, 170, Kearns HS) out of Kearns, Utah. 

Rated three stars, Hall was ranked the No. 20 dual-threat quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com after recording 1,336 passing yards and 13 touchdowns along with 387 yards and four scores on the ground. He is son of former BYU fullback Kalin Hall.

Finau, also a three-star prospect, rushed for 946 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior while hauling in 17 receptions for 242 yards and two scores.

On the offensive line and shoring up the trenches will be Clark Barrington (6-6, 275, University HS) of Washington, J. T. Gentry (6-5, 285, Columbine HS) of Colorado, Caden Haws (6-2, 275, Pulaski Academy) of Arkansas and Lisala Tai (6-7, 310, Hawthorne HS) of California.

BYU football also anticipates six scholarship players to join the program in time for 2016 after returning from missions in Trajan Pili (DL, 6-2, 225, Centennial HS), Uriah Leiataua (DL, 6-4, 238, Dominguez HS), Zac Dawe (DL, 6-4, 274, Pleasant Grove HS), Austin Chambers (OL, 6-4, 270, Shawnee Mission West HS), Chandon Herring (OL, 6-7, 260, Perry HS) and Isaiah Kaufusi (DB, 6-2, 175, Brighton HS).

2016 BYU Football Recruiting Class

2016 Returning Missionaries