Lightly recruited Finau's path to dream school BYU was always a puncher's chance

(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News/File)


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KEARNS — Sione Finau is a fighter.

At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, he's had to be. But the Kearns High running back has made the most of a puncher's chance at a college career, and he'll get an opportunity at his dream in-state school.

Finau signed a National Letter of Intent with BYU on Wednesday, joining a 25-player recruiting class under new head coach Kalani Sitake. But how the three-star recruit by Scout and 247sports.com got to BYU was anything but direct — even though Finau admits the Provo-based institution was always his dream school.

"BYU has been my dream school since I was a little kid," Finau said Wednesday, moments after signing his National Letter of Intent. "When the offer came, it was a no-brainer. I talked to my family, and they supported me 100 percent."

Midway through last season, Finau was excited to get an offer from Oregon State, courtesy of then-defensive coordinator Sitake. The Deseret News Region 6 MVP and 110-meter hurdles state champion ran for 946 yards and 16 touchdowns as a senior, but was lightly recruited all through high school. He drew interest from Nevada, Southern Utah, Weber State and Wyoming, but the Beavers was his first solid offer that he considered.

Sitake was a driving force behind that early commitment, Finau said.

"I've known him for quite a while," Finau said of Sitake. "Our relationship has really grown over the years. I wasn't an over-recruited athlete, but he saw something that other coaches couldn't see."

But after Sitake took the BYU job, Finau and his family re-evaluated Oregon State. Last week, it was reported that the two sides had mutually agreed to part ways from each other.

Sione Finau with most of his available immediate and extended family after signing a Letter of Intent to join BYU's football team in 2018 following a two-year LDS Church mission, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. (Photo: Sean Walker, KSL.com)
Sione Finau with most of his available immediate and extended family after signing a Letter of Intent to join BYU's football team in 2018 following a two-year LDS Church mission, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. (Photo: Sean Walker, KSL.com)

Finau's mother Loyann said that was intentional. While the opportunity to play Power 5 football in the Pac-12 was tempting, the chance to attend BYU — the family's school of choice since moving to Utah from Tonga — was a dream come true. It also helped that longtime family friend Ilaisa Tuiaki was the Cougars' new defensive coordinator.

"We support anyone, but once we heard that Kalani Sitake and coach Tuiaki were headed to BYU, our fingers were crossed that they would take Sione with them," Loyann Finau said. "We've always been grateful for this."

For Tuiaki, the relationships formed on the recruiting trail since taking his first defensive coordinator position less than a month ago have been vital over the first 30 days of his tenure.

"You think about all the kids involved in the process, and all these kids that are getting opportunities to get an education," Tuiaki said. "Whether here to somewhere else, It was really cool to connect with people."

While Tuiaki's recruit emphasis seemed to be on Southern California this year, he stressed he wanted to make sure the staff only brought in "OKGs," or "Our Kind of Guys" in their first season at BYU.

Finau fits that definition.

"For me and this program, it's just about finding the right fit and the right guys," Tuiaki said. "It just happened to be there was a big pocket of 'OKGs' for us at BYU in Southern Cal. We'll continue to try to find the right kind of guys for us."

The Polynesian heritage and kinship with family is important to Finau. When asked about a dozen small children who showed up at his signing ceremony, he told the crowd they were all his brothers and sisters. His mother clarified, saying most of them were extended cousins. But to the Finaus, everyone is family — especially guys like Sitake, the first native Tongan head coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision whom Polynesians take pride in seeing succeed.

"How we work and how we do our things is all about brotherhood," Finau explained of his heritage. "The Polynesians really like coach Sitake for his work ethic and his drive to be the best coach. It's something special, and we all want to be part of it."

2016 Recruiting Profile

Tuiaki also played a key role in recruiting older brother Amone Finau to Utah two years ago before serving a two-year mission for the LDS Church. The Utes' 6-foot-2, 180-pound offensive lineman was a second-team all-state wide receiver at Kearns, playing everything from running back to corner back and kick returner in his time with the Cougars.

But the elder Finau was also lightly recruited out of high school, and he quickly signed with the Utes the same year as head coach Kyle Whittingham brought in junior college standouts Kaelin Clay, Devontae Booker and Tevin Carter.

Even if the two brothers are facing each other in rival uniforms in a couple of years, they are excited for the chance to play Division I football. Amone Finau emailed a photo of himself and several mission companions wearing BYU gear last Monday, as a sign of support for his little brother in his signing day decision.

"He's supportive of anywhere he goes. It's his little brother," Loyann Finau said of Amone, who returns from his mission in the fall, before quipping, "I guess we'll find out that day who we like best."

In many ways, it was Amone that led to his younger brother's brief recruitment to BYU. Sitake first took notice of Sione while he was recruiting Amone, and their bond has been strong ever since.

For the next two years, Sione Finau will be wearing a different uniform — one with a black name tag — before returning home and putting on the navy or royal blue Y helmet.

But he can't wait to get back.

"You're just going to have to see in two years," said Finau, who signed as a running back but said he could play slot receiver or defensive back in college, as well. "When they come to the stadium, they'd better be ready. No one believed in me this year, and look where I got to. I'm just so happy that coach Kalani and Tuiaki believed in me as a player and a student-athlete."

National Signing Day 2016

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