Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 1 game
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 2 | W 28-17vs Arizona | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 3 tackles |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 1.5 | 0.5 | — | 0 |
#57
Keanu Tanuvasa
Keanu Tanuvasa is a captain, a 300-pound anchor, and a veteran who chose to come back for a fifth year -- because he believes this BYU defense is on the verge of something special, and he wants one more shot at it.
6′4″ · 300 lb · Mission Viejo, CA
CFB Index 77 · #46 of 330 interior linemenLow confidenceReturning to BYU for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
0.5
sacks · 2026
1.5 TFL · 3 tackles
1 game into 2026 so far -- Best game: 0.5 sacks, 1.5 TFL, 3 tackles, vs Arizona
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Keanu Tanuvasa is a captain, a 300-pound anchor, and a veteran who chose to come back for a fifth year -- because he believes this BYU defense is on the verge of something special, and he wants one more shot at it.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Mission Viejo in 2020.
- Transferred from Utah to BYU in 2025.
Buzz vs Tape
Fans warmer than rivals
His own fans are far more bullish than the rival fanbase.
44.9own fans
-70rival fans
Also worth knowing:
The story
The Utah transfer settled in as BYU's defensive-line leader in 2025 -- 26 tackles, two sacks, and the steady interior presence a defense organizes around -- and was named a team captain. He returned for a fifth season largely because head coach Kalani Sitake stayed, framing 2026 openly as his draft-stock final ride. The forward stakes are a team's ceiling: a veteran anchor in the middle is the unglamorous foundation of good run defense, and Tanuvasa believes the unit around him is ready to break through. He's not a stat-sheet stuffer -- he's the captain who holds the point and sets the tone for a defense with real ambitions.
His career
He was on the field for 5 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Tanuvasa is a classic anchor tackle -- 6-4, 300, built to occupy blockers and hold the interior against the run. The value isn't in flashy numbers (his sack and tackle totals are modest); it's in the dirty work and the leadership, the captain who two-gaps, eats double-teams, and frees the players around him to make plays. He's a veteran's veteran, a former missionary and fifth-year leader whose game is about reliability and toughness in the middle. On a defense aiming to take a step, his job is the foundation everything else is built on.
Written by our staff.
2020
- Recruited3-star out of Mission Viejo
202511 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2022–2026
1 coach2022–2026
Played his entire career under Kalani Sitake.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2022Utah10-4HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-leaning
2023Utah8-5HC: Kyle Whittingham · Run-heavy
2024Utah5-7HC: Kyle Whittingham · Balanced
2025BYU12-2HC: Kalani Sitake · Run-leaning
2026BYU2-0HC: Kalani Sitake · Balanced, fast tempo
Where this defender ranks vs the field
Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort
Low confidenceBounce-Back
Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (6)
Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 1 game: 3.0 TKL/g, 1.5 TFL/g, 0.5 SACK/g, 0.0 PD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Kalani Sitake
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2025
Rotational
Tackle volume for the position in rotation-piece range.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Production · CFB Index Score
77 · #46 of 330 interior linemen
Three-star recruit. Now #46 at the position.
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Big 12
Based on 2025: #2 of 22 Big 12 DTs
How the All-Big 12 estimate is computed
49% estimated, 95% confidence interval 43–54%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 28–17
vs Arizona
3 TOT · 1 SOLO · 0 SACKS
With B. Bachmeier — 217 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 90.7 · 37 rush yds (6 car) · 1 TD · F. Shurtz — 46 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 53 LONG
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Tanuvasa is a classic anchor tackle -- 6-4, 300, built to occupy blockers and hold the interior against the run. The value isn't in flashy numbers (his sack and tackle totals are modest); it's in the dirty work and the leadership, the captain who two-gaps, eats double-teams, and frees the players around him to make plays. He's a veteran's veteran, a former missionary and fifth-year leader whose game is about reliability and toughness in the middle. On a defense aiming to take a step, his job is the foundation everything else is built on.
Our classifier reads him the same way: wins his gap play after play.
2026 Outlook
BYU
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive tackle · BYU
Returning around him
- 2 BYU players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -5 net (9 in / 14 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
BYU · Last season: 12-2 (AP #12) · Talent rank #59 · 2026 recruiting class #21
DNA match
Player DNA
Two-Gap Base
Stout at the point of attack — steady tackle-for-loss production without a standout pass-rush number.
IDL
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Nash Hutmacher’s 2023 season.
84%match
Matches Nash on
TFL rate
Sack rate
Weight
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a senior, his production profile tracks closest to Anthony Holmes Jr.'s senior season at Texas Tech (2025).
75%match
Matches Anthony on
Class year
Sack rate
Height
Player DNA
Players who play like Keanu Tanuvasa
The defensive line · BYU
- #48Bodie Schoonover5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #7Logan Lutui5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #57Keanu Tanuvasa4.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #13Tausili Akana3.5 tackles for loss · 2025
- #55John Taumoepeau2 tackles for loss · 2025
22 more on the roster · BYU team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology