Commitment Analysis: Handsome Tanielu

How He Arrived at BYU

Six months ago it seemed next to impossible that four-star Handsome Tanielu would ever sign with the Cougars, but with a few coaching changes and some hard-nosed recruiting, BYU was able to land the 14th rated Junior College prospect in the country.

Tanielu held an offer from BYU coming out of Waianae High School in Hawaii but ultimately his path took him to Snow College after serving an LDS mission. The decision proved to be a good one for him as he racked up 32 offers before ultimately signing with BYU. The one time Utah commit touted offers from the likes of Texas, Oklahoma, Penn State, USC and a long list of other schools across the country. He was the first player to officially sign under Coach Kalani Sitake and he set the bar high for all future BYU recruits. He could very well end up being the best prospect in the entire 2016 class.

Who He Is

In a word, Tanielu is dominant. Tanielu has the exact kind of body type that you would want in a defensive lineman. He’s a lean 305 pounds, 6’2” tall and as strong as an ox. He is able to shed blocks as well as anyone in the country. Tanielu is a violent football player with excellent football instincts. He does a good job of staying low and getting his hands in a good position to make a move. He will be able to play defensive end or defensive tackle for Coach Tuiaki.

What He’ll Become

Tanielu was able to enroll for spring semester so he is already working out with the team. Because this will be a new defense for the entire team, he will have the same learning curve that everyone else will have. This puts Tanielu in a prime position to start on the defensive line from the first snap of spring ball which is exactly what you want when you bring in a JUCO signee. Tanielu will play alongside Travis Tuiloma and that bodes well for a BYU defensive line that will be trying to replace Bronson Kaufusi. There aren’t any glaring weaknesses to his game that make you think he won’t be able to transition to the FBS level, but he will need to continue to get stronger and quicker in order to make the impact that most are expecting him to make next season.

Jeff Hansen is a Senior Recruiting Analyst for CougarNation.com. Jeff has been covering BYU since 2013. Follow him on Twitter: @rakoto10.