Tausili Akana holds the RDE · Backup spot in BYU Cougars’s edge room. Where he sits among the room’s front-line roles:

Tausili Akana, a 6'3", 235-pound defensive end from Laie, Hawaii, transferred to BYU from Texas. A four-star recruit in the 2023 class, Akana was ranked No. 113 nationally by national outlets and No. 1 overall in Utah by both recruiting services. Out of Skyridge High School, he recorded 70 tackles, 14.5 sacks, and 21 tackles for loss as a senior in 2022, earning 6A Player of the Year and first-team all-state honors from the Deseret News. As a redshirt sophomore in 2025, Akana has appeared in games registering 10 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 6 quarterback hurries, and 0.5 sacks.

Texas2023 – 2024

BYU2025 — present