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PROVO — A little over a year ago, Ephraim Asiata was fighting for his life following a shooting near Hunter High.
On Tuesday, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound linebacker took a big step forward in his college career.
Asiata announced his commitment to BYU in a ceremony held the day before the NCAA's early signing period — something of a full-circle moment for his father Matt, who starred at Snow College and Utah before a seven-year NFL career primarily with the Minnesota Vikings.
Ephraim Asiata, who also played basketball, had 87 tackles, 60 tackles for loss and 32 sacks in three years of high school football, according to MaxPreps.
But his life took a dramatic turn for the worse almost two years ago, when Asiata was one of three boys shot during a confrontation near Hunter High.
Two teenagers were killed during the incident, and Asiata was given a 1% chance to live, according to Muka Atiga, his uncle who spoke for the family at the time.
But the young football player kept fighting, eventually returning to the field for a senior season when he made 53 tackles and 21 tackles for loss in 10 games for the 5-6 Mustangs while accruing scholarship offers from USC, Utah, San Diego State and Tennessee, among others, according to 247Sports.
"He's so optimistic," Atiga said of his nephew at the time, per KSL.com. "He's always been that way, though. He's a confident kid. He's kind of always been the alpha amongst his peers. So that's kind of how he has taken this whole thing on, nothing is going to stop him. The doctors gave him just a 1% chance, and I think that's all he needed. And he's proven that."
As part of his rehabilitation and recovery, Asiata underwent transplant operations on his small intestine, pancreas and liver, as reported by the Minnesota Vikings.
Asiata joins a 20-player recruiting class of 2024 at BYU as a three-star linebacker by 247Sports rated the No. 7 prospect in Utah. He's one of 14 defensive players, highlighted by the recent additions of junior college defensive linemen Luke Toomalatai, Danny Saili and Sani Tuala; Weber State transfers Marque Collins and Jack Kelly; and Georgia-based cornerback Therrian Alexander III.
The group also has offensive players, most notably four-star tight end Ryner Swanson, who plans to enroll at BYU before spring practices and play a year before departing for a two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and former UTSA quarterback commit Noah Lugo.
