Mendenhall Announces New Signee

PROVO, Utah -- BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall announced today that defensive lineman Taumata Tofi from Perris, Calif., has signed a national letter of intent to attend BYU.

"Taumata Tofi is a great fit for BYU,” Mendenhall said. “He is a great student, a man of faith and an excellent football player. He has a bright future as a defensive lineman at BYU and we are lucky to have him.”

Tofi, who goes by “Felesi” (meaning “fresh” in Samoan), is a 6-foot-3, 270-pound lineman who is a two-time All-Sunbelt League First Team selection and was selected to play in the Inland Empire Football All-Stars game as a starter for the Riverside County team. In addition to football, Tofi also participated on the Perris High School volleyball and track and field teams.

A native of Aoa, American Samoa, Tofi moved to California following the tsunami that hit Samoa in Sept. 2009, arriving in Perris during his sophomore year.

Two of Tofi’s older brothers, Travis and Joe, also played collegiate football at USC and UNLV, respectively.

Tofi was recruited by a number of Pac-12 schools, including Washington and Arizona, in addition to Fresno State and Utah State.