BYU DL Lorenzo Fauatea Out For Remainder Of Season Due To Injury

PROVO, Utah – BYU junior defensive lineman Lorenzo Fauatea is out for the 2020 season due to an injury. Fauatea, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound defensive tackle/nose guard, suffered the injury after appearing in two snaps during BYU’s win over UTSA last Saturday.

Fauatea was placed on crutches and immediately ruled out after suffering the injury that put him in a boot on his left foot.

Lorenzo Fauatea out for rest of 2020 season

“I have been in my head lately the last couple of days trying to contemplate about my situation. First and foremost, I just want to thank my family, fiancee, and loved ones for helping me through hard times like this. Due to an injury caused in last week’s game, I will be out the remainder of the 2020 season,” wrote Fauatea on his personal Instagram account.

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I have been in my head lately the last couple of days trying to contemplate about my situation. First and foremost I just want to thank my family, fiancée, and loved ones for helping me through hard times like this. Due to an injury caused in last weeks game I will be out the remainder of the 2020 season. Thinking about the hard work and sacrifice I’ve put in during the off-season and trying to be an example to the younger generation kids in my hometown is hard. But I know my Heavenly Father has a plan for me! The comeback will be great because even when we down, we up! 💯 #Fauatea #KidFromWV

A post shared by Zo (@renzo_fauatea_) on Oct 12, 2020 at 3:38pm PDT

Fauatea played in four games this season and lined up along the defensive line in a total of 58 snaps on the year. This is the second time in Fauatea’s career he has had a season-ending injury. During his freshman campaign in 2017, Fauatea suffered an injury that forced him to a medical redshirt.

In 2019, Fauatea missed games against Utah State, Idaho State, and UMass due to a lower leg injury.

In four years ag BYU, Fauatea has appeared in 29 games and recorded 38 tackles with six of those resulting in tackles for loss.

Due to the NCAA’s blanket waiver for eligibility amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauatea will still have three years to play two in his BYU career.

Without Fauatea in the lineup, players such as Gabe Summers, Earl Tuioti-Mariners, and Caden Haws will become primary reserves to give relief to interior linemen Khyiris Tonga and Bracken El-Bakri when BYU is in a four-lineman front.

Fauatea joins running backs Jackson McChesney, Hinckley Ropati, tight end Matt Bushman, and safety Chaz Ah You as the group of BYU players who have suffered season-ending injuries this season.

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m., KSL Newsradio). Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.