FRISCO, Texas — You'll never get good PR when you transfer to a rival school, regardless if it's the right choice for you and your career.
BYU defensive tackle Keanu Tanuvasa learned all about the backlash one can receive for switching allegiances when he transferred from Utah in December. His decision to transfer only added to the historic rivalry that was already at a high level of animosity.
At the Big 12 Media Days event on Tuesday, Tanuvasa only stirred the pot more, when he made a statement that, according to him, was misinterpreted by fans and the media.
What did Keanu Tanuvasa say at Big 12 Media Days?
In an interview with ESPN 700, a radio station based in Salt Lake City that covers the Utes, Tanuvasa was asked about how he dealt with the backlash he faced once decided to transfer away from the Utah program.
Tanuvasa said that once the backlash came, he was heartbroken.
"I felt like I had given the University of Utah everything that I wanted to give it," Tanuvasa said. "I don't know if there was a player that was more bought into that program than I was."
That caught the attention of some Utah fans, and in particular, a tweet that has since been deleted by @therealutahutes on X that went viral.
This quote in the tweet is not accurate to what Tanuvasa said, and it took a few hours for the Twitter crowd to realize what the quote actually was.
When asked to address the viral statement later on in the day, Tanuvasa handled it well.
"It was misconstrued from the way that I meant it," Tanuvasa said. "I just tried to say that in my time I thought there were areas that I dedicated myself and had given my all to the University [of Utah] at that time ... it maybe had sounded like I was comparing with other people.
"I felt that I had dedicated so much time and effort playing with a knee injury, shoulder injury and a calf injury, even against BYU I laid my body on the line ... I was willing to give all of that to the University of Utah," Tanuvasa added.
ESPN 700 did make a correction on @therealutahute's tweet that caused so much discussion, saying, "This isn't what [Tanuvasa] said. Word to the wise. When you're paraphrasing you shouldn't put quotation marks and it should still be accurate to what the person said."
That's a wrap on @Big12Conference media days for the Cougs 🤙 pic.twitter.com/jGf0lB9qZd
— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) July 8, 2025
Outside of BYU's ensuing quarterback battle following the departure of Jake Retzlaff, Tanuvasa was the biggest media talking point for the Cougars on Tuesday.
Sending a player who transferred from a rival school in the same conference to the conference's annual media event was a bold choice. All day, Tanuvasa had to answer questions about his decision, his relationship with the Utes and if there is any bad blood with coach Kyle Whittingham's team.
When asked if he is still close with his former Ute teammates, Tanuvasa said, "I see some of those guys often, and I talk to them pretty often as well ... I don't think I went about things in a perfect way, and I don't think it's ever super easy to see one of your people transfer from a rival team to the other rival team, but I think there's still remaining good feelings and deeper connections that go beyond the game of football and beyond the rivalry of BYU-Utah."
One of the reasons this cross-rivalry transfer has been more discussed than others, is because Tanuvasa publicly called out Utah teammates who entered the portal, only then to enter the portal himself, transferring to the Cougars.
"People are right in the way that they feel," Tanuvasa said about the backlash he receives. "But I think there could be a little more grace sometimes, because I'm still 23 and developing ... I'm imperfect."
Tanuvasa said multiple times on Tuesday that he could have handled his decision to transfer to BYU better, but the past is in the past.
As for Tuesday's comments that sent the state of Utah into a media frenzy, it seems that no harm was meant towards Tanuvasa's teammates in Salt Lake.
Expect Wednesday's portion of Big 12 Media Days to have its fair share of questions regarding Tanuvasa's transfer asked to Utah's Lander Barton, Spencer Fano, Smith Snowden and Whittingham.