For Austin Leausa, the road to this moment has never been just about football. It’s been about family, faith and figuring out how to carry both while chasing a dream that doesn’t slow down.
Leausa, a former BYU offensive lineman who is preparing for the NFL draft, speaks like someone who has lived more life than the typical prospect.
A graduate of West Jordan High School, he left on a mission to the Philippines before eventually committing to Southern Utah. The path since then has been anything but normal including transfers, a brief gap away from the game, and stops at Utah State and back to SUU before finishing at BYU.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, he became a husband and a father of two girls.
“I had my first at 22, just a year into college,” Leausa said. “At the beginning, it was hard. I was new to being a dad and trying to be a student-athlete at the same time. It took time to figure it out.”
He laughs a little now, but those early years weren’t simple. At SUU, life often felt like survival. Long days, multiple jobs, little time together. His wife, Gingerlei, remembers it clearly.
“I wouldn’t see Austin from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. most nights,” she said. “Other nights, I didn’t see him at all because of the jobs I had to work. It was a grind.”
That reality played into one of the biggest decisions of his career. Leausa entered the transfer portal not just for football, but for stability.
“I didn’t want our household to just be work all the time,” he said. “I wanted something we could actually sustain as a family.”
BYU provided that. The difference, both say, was immediate.
“The environment at BYU made it feel like home,” Leausa said. “I didn’t have to work two jobs, and Gingerlei didn’t have to work three. That changed everything.”
His wife sees it the same way, pointing to the culture under head coach Kalani Sitake.
“BYU has shown me an incredible culture of balancing faith, football and family,” she said. “I’ve seen Austin more in one fall camp here than all his years at SUU combined. They take care of the whole family, not just the player.”
That balance helped Leausa settle into his final college chapter, where his favorite memories followed. Beating Utah not once, but twice, stands out, but nothing topped Senior Night, when he ran out of the tunnel with his daughter, Naisina.
“She’s only ever known her dad as a football player,” Gingerlei said. “To have her run out with him, that was everything.”
Teammate Trevin Ostler, who described Leausa in two words as “crazy athletic,” remembers the lighter moments too like golfing together away from the grind of the season.
Off the field, Leausa has also been open about the mental side of his journey. Balancing football with fatherhood brought pressure that doesn’t always get talked about.
“There’s mental health that comes with it,” he said. “Being a dad and a football player, you’re trying to be everything at once.”
Still, he kept pushing. He trained in Fresno ahead of the NFL draft, embracing the rare chance to focus fully on football, even if it came with a cost.
“It was fun, and it was good to be on my own to focus on the prep” he said. “ But I missed my family.”
Now, with the draft approaching, Leausa is hearing from teams like the Raiders, Dolphins and Seahawks. He’s projected as an interior lineman, capable of playing both guard and center, and added extra film by participating in additional postseason showcases, including the American Bowl after the Pop Tart Bowl.
That motivation has been there from the start. From meeting his wife at nine years old in Primary to raising two kids during a demanding college career, Leausa’s story has always extended beyond the field. Life is bigger than football.
His faith has anchored it all.
“Our faith in Jesus Christ has helped us through every stage,” Gingerlei said. “Even a little faith has brought blessings we still feel undeserving of.”
Leausa when asked what this journey has meant.
“I’ve worked hard for this,” he said. “But at the end of the day, it’s about taking care of my family. That’s what I’m looking forward to most.”