Far from home: 4-star Tausili Akana blossoming into one of nation's best

LEHI — If Tausili Akana played with a little extra motor during Skyridge's 37-0 win last week over American Fork, consider for whom the massive edge presence was putting on a show for with his team-high 11 tackles and 1.5 sacks in the shutout that capped the Falcons' 9-1 regular season.

Specifically, there were four family members in the stands that night watching Akana play, including a mother and father who have rarely had the chance to see him for two years.

Akana's mother, Jocelyn, flew to Utah for the first time this year from the family's home in Hawaii, accompanied by father and former BYU-Hawaii basketball standout Brandyn, Akana's grandmother, and little brother.

Together, they took Akana through the traditional senior night experience, alongside his massive senior class, and watched a show as the Falcons put the finishing touches on a regular season that allowed just 84 total points.

So yeah, you could say that last week was a reason to celebrate.

"It was really special," Akana said. "My mom hasn't come to a game in a very long time. To see her in the stands with my grandma and my little brother was special. They all flew over. It was a special night."

The top-rated recruit in Utah has an eye-popping 47 scholarship offers, including some of the top programs in the country like Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. BYU, Utah and Utah State have also offered the four-star recruit rated the No. 5 edge rusher nationally by 247Sports and top-100 recruit overall.

He's taken visits recently to Austin, Texas; Norman, Oklahoma; and Death Valley in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

But at the end of the day, Akana is a teenager trying to map out his future — and a bright one, if his gridiron prospects are to be believed.

"They're all shaping up good," Akana said of his recruiting. "I'm building a good relationship with a big relationship coach; that's a big key for me. I'm a big relationship guy."

The 6-foot-4, 225-pound defensive end/linebacker plans to take his fourth official visit Nov. 4 to College Station, Texas. Then, he hopes to win a 6A state title with his teammates, who are ranked No. 2 in their classification behind Corner Canyon and considered among the favorites.

The Falcons open the playoffs next Friday against the winner of Granger and Fremont.

Akana plans to sign during the early-signing period, or possibly announce his commitment as late as the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 7. That's because he has a bigger goal in mind over the next month: win a state title.

And there are reasons to believe he can do it, with a group of defensive teammates who "have everything in our bag."

"We can cover, we can stop the run game," Akana said. "We're just a different defense."

More so with the four-star talent, too, after a circuitous journey to Skyridge.

Akana spent his freshman year at Kamehameha Kapalama in Hawaii in 2019, but when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down most sports in Hawaii in 2020, he and his family moved to Utah — one of the few states that continued to operate athletically — to play at Wasatch High, where his uncle Ry was a coach.

When the year ended, his family opted to move back to the islands, where Brandyn Akana was the head basketball coach at Kahuku High. The only problem? Tausili was loving his time in Utah and he had picked up a lot of steam on the recruiting trail, as well.

So when his parents returned home, Tausili Akana moved in with his dad's sister in Lehi. That's when he connected with Skyridge coach Jon Lehman and the Falcons' 6A power.

"It's been kind of hard being without my parents," Akana said. "But I make the good times last and count. It was a good transition.

"Everyone here was so kind and opened their arms to me."

Akana helped a standout Skyridge defense, one that included four-star cornerback Smith Snowden (the No. 4-rated recruit in Utah and son of former BYU running back Will Snowden) and several other stars, and made the Falcons even better.

The 225-pound edge rusher is second on the team with 63 tackles to go along with a team-high 13 sacks, and he's known for making plays at all three levels.

But sometimes, the biggest plays he makes don't involve a stat.

"The part that people don't see is the amount of focus that the offense puts on him," said Lehman, the only head coach the Falcons have known. "He has been all over the place, and not just sacks that everybody notices; it's the little details. He's making that kind of impact, even before the play, because the offense devotes so much focus to everything that he brings to the table.

"He just makes everybody's jobs easier."

Lehman and his coaching staff have left an impression on Akana, as well.

"Lehman helped me a lot with my eyes; I used to be all over the place, out of control," he says, laughing at the young junior who arrived in Lehi. "Coach (Tavita) Sagapolu also helped me get better everywhere, especially with my technique. I'm very grateful to be here with these coaches, to help me grow as a player on and off the field."

Akana, who is already committed to the All-American Bowl and Polynesian Bowl all-star games, still has a lot of football in front of him, even with a heavy recruitment calendar.

But first thing's first: one game at a time, he says.

"I just want to get at it every day in practice," Akana said. "It's going to take every single one of us. The ring is the main goal, but right now, we're just focusing on one game at a time."

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