BYU lineman Kingsley Suamataia earns All-Big 12 preseason honors
It’s good to be Kingsley.
BYU offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia has been named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, becoming the first Cougar in program history to earn such honors in the school’s inaugural week of conference tenure.
Suamataia arrived at BYU prior to the 2022 campaign as a transfer from Oregon, having been rated as a 5-star recruit out of Orem high school and widely considered as one of the most talented players in state history. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder served as BYU’s primary right tackle this past year and never allowed a sack in 361 pass blocking attempts while earning a 75.8 total Pro Football Focus grade. With Blake Freeland’s departure to the NFL, Suamataia will move to left tackle for the Cougars in 2023.
Along with the Big 12 recognition, Suamataia has appeared in a number of mock drafts as a potential first round pick next April, joining his blindside protecting predecessors Brady Christensen and Freeland as the third consecutive drafted left tackle out of Provo. Suamataia’s cousin, Penei Sewell, was drafted No. 7 overall in 2021 out of Oregon and now starts at left tackle for the Detroit Lions.
