“He comes off as really shy and soft-spoken. But trust me, he’s a brilliant defensive coach.”
PROVO — Of the new faces on BYU coach Kalani Sitake’s staff, perhaps one of the most unheralded is defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki.
He’s one of just two assistant coaches who didn’t play at BYU. But he did grow up in Provo as a huge Cougar fan.
“I grew up a BYU guy. My dad played rugby (at BYU) and was teammates with David Smyth, the head rugby coach,” Tuiaki said. “I grew up right across the street (from BYU) … I’m really excited to be back, back to my roots, where I grew up.