Keanu Tanuvasa has started in 33 college football games. He’s sacked quarterbacks, swatted passes down and forced fumbles.
Now entering his senior year of college football, Tanuvasa is a veteran on the BYU defense.
After transferring to BYU ahead of the 2025 season, Tanuvasa quickly established himself as a dominant force on the defensive line.
He went on to start all 14 games and finished the season with 25 total tackles, nine solo tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss and two sacks. Tanuvasa helped lead the Cougars to a 12-2 season and their first conference championship game appearance since 1998.
As the team headed into the offseason, then-defensive coordinator Jay Hill decided to take a job at the University of Michigan. Despite his departure, the BYU defense didn’t lose a single starter to the transfer portal. Now that veteran experience is making all the difference.
“I think it's been huge,” said Tanuvasa. “With everyone being veteran and everyone being able to have played snaps for BYU and under coach Kalani (Sitake) and under this defense that we're retaining, it's kind of just set the standard and the tone going into this year.”
Despite being a veteran of college football, this is only Tanuvasa’s second year on the BYU football team. However, Tanuvasa was chosen to be a captain on the team and has taken on a new leadership role.
“I'm one of the older guys, so I'm 24. I'm in my fifth year, and we have 18 year olds that are joining us,” explained Tanuvasa. “It may not seem like a big gap, but it has a pretty big gap.”
Tanuvasa described his relationship with his younger teammates as the “older brother” type. He says that being a leader for the younger guys has required tough conversations, time, dedication and many other things outside of football.
His role as an older brother on the team is also preparing him for his next role in life, fatherhood.
“I think that's what being a father is,” he said. “A lot of hard conversations with either the wife or the baby as the baby's growing up. It takes time, takes dedication, it takes more than just the everyday things.”
Tanuvasa and his wife Zerin announced the pregnancy via a post on social media on May 21 with the expected due date listed in the caption as Nov. 8, 2026.
With the daunting role of being a father coming up, Tanuvasa says that his time at BYU has helped him prepare for what’s to come.
“I think BYU has been perfect for me entering this new role as it's allowed me to understand what characteristics I need to develop more,” he said.
The Tanuvasas will be having a boy, something that Tanuvasa himself is very excited about.
“I'm most excited to name my son after my grandpa who just passed away,” he said. “He meant the world to me and my boy means the world to me. So, I'm most excited to meet his spirit and to see who he is.”
Ever the self critic, Tanuvasa expressed his own feelings of inadequacy as he moves into the next chapter of his life.
“I'm an imperfect man,” said Tanuvasa with a laugh.
As is with both his life on and off the field, Tanuvasa’s faith as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is at the forefront of his hopes for his soon-to-be baby boy.
“I want that baby to live the life of the Savior,” he said. “So I think I'm nervous that I'll set a bad example, but I'm gonna do everything I can.”