BYU Football Adds Coveted Bay Area Teammates On Signing Day
Feb 7, 2024, 8:48 AM | Updated: 8:50 am
BYU football linebackers coach Justin Ena picked up commitments from Sefo Akuila and Naki Tuakoi on National Signing Day. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
PROVO, Utah – BYU football picked up a pair of Bay Area edge rushers from the Bay Area on Signing Day.
The latest additions are high school teammates Naki Tuakoi and Sefo Akuila from Fremont High School in Oakland, California.
#BYU announces the signing of Naki Tuakoi.
Linebacker/EDGE rusher from Oakland, California. Was previously committed to Stanford.
Top 40 recruit in the state of California.#BYUFootball #NSD24
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 7, 2024
Both players signed with the BYU football program on Wednesday to kick off the February signing period, leaving behind previous commitments to power conference programs.
Naki Tuakoi was previously committed to Stanford
The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Tuakoi was previously committed to Stanford. At the same time, Sefo Akuila was a commit to future Big 12 foe Arizona.
Tuakoi’s recruitment has been a wild one as he suddenly committed to Stanford last summer when no one expected. Then, last fall, he decommitted from the Cardinal out of the blue. Akuila was a pledge to Arizona last fall but quietly backed off that commitment.
Tuakoi is the fifth-highest-rated prospect in the 247Sports Composite for BYU in the 2024 recruiting class. He is a three-star recruit and the No. 39 ranked recruit in California in the 247Sports Composite.
Tuakoi received offers from Stanford, Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Maryland, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, USC, Utah, and others.
BYU Football also adds Sefo Akuila
Akuila held an offer sheet that included the Wildcats, Cal, Nevada, and Washington State.
BYU linebacker coach Justin Ena is excited to bring Tuakoi and Akuila into the fold with the Cougars.
“A very long-levered, athletic, nasty football player,” said BYU linebacker coach Justin Ena. [Tuakoi plays] linebacker and a little bit of outside linebacker, too as well. Hails from Fremont, California, has a bunch of family out here as well. He’s everything we’re looking for as a linebacker: tough, nasty, and aggressive.”
Sefo Akuila's LOI is in.
Akuila was a high school teammate to Naki Tuakoi at Fremont High School in Oakland.
Akuila was previously committed to Arizona. #BYU #BYUFootball #NSD24
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) February 7, 2024
“A great athlete coming out of the Bay Area. He played quarterback –very versatile– as well; played outside linebacker,” said Ena. “Just dynamic in his athletic ability. The future is very bright with him.”
After the signings of Tuakoi and Akuila, BYU’s talent composite rank for the 2024 class of high school and junior college prospects moved up four spots from No. 48 to No. 44.
The Bay Area signees give BYU football its 25th and 26th commitments in the 2024 recruiting class. Out of the 26 commits, 19 project to play on the defensive side of the ball for BYU.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s’ coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
