Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 63-7vs Utah Tech | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Wk 2 | W 28-17vs Arizona | 4 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 | Season-high 4 tackles |
| Total | 4 | 2 | 2.5 | 2.5 | — | 0 |
#13
Tausili Akana
Junior defensive end for BYU. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
6′3″ · 235 lb · Laie, HI
Returning to BYU for 2026
The numbers
2.5
sacks · 2026
2.5 TFL · 4 tackles
2 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 2.5 sacks, 2.5 TFL, 4 tackles, vs Arizona
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 defensive end for BYU. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 4-star recruit to Texas in 2023.
- Transferred from Texas to BYU in 2025.
Tausili Akana
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come. Across three seasons and two programs, two head coaches: Steve Sarkisian and Kalani Sitake. One game to point at: 4 tackles, 2.5 sacks against Arizona — Week 2, 2026.
4 TACKLES · 2.5 SACKS
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- season totals
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- game log
His career
2023
- Signed with Texas4-star out of Skyridge
20258 games
- Entered the portal
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★★
CFB
College
2 teams
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Played his entire career under Kalani Sitake.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
2024Texas13-3HC: Steve Sarkisian · 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
Elite: sacks (99th percentile). Strength: tackles for loss (91st percentile). Concern: tackles (0th percentile).
Box-score production (7)
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 2 games: 2.0 TKL/g, 1.2 TFL/g, 1.2 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
Backup
Tackle volume for the position at the early end of the ladder.
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 2 · 2026
W 28–17
vs Arizona
4 TOT · 2 SOLO · 2 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
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
BYU
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Defensive end · 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
Pressure Merchant
Collapses the pocket even when the sack doesn't come.
EDGE
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Sincere Edwards’s 2025 season.
Matches Sincere on
Class year
Height
TFL rate
Not enough data yet for this comparison.
As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Sincere Edwards's sophomore season at UCF (2025).
Matches Sincere on
Class year
Height
TFL rate
Player DNA
Players who play like Tausili Akana
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