Provo • Teammates like to call BYU junior Kavika Fonua “gramps,” or “old man,” or the “elder statesman” when they see him around campus or in the locker room.
His self-described term is “survivor,” because that’s what the former Syracuse High standout has been at BYU, overcoming several major injuries to remain a contributor in the program.
“Hey, I’m only 24,” he says. “But me and Talon [Shumway] are always getting clowned on for how old we are.”
Fonua figures to be a name BYU fans will see a lot of this season, because he’s suddenly near the top of the depth chart, or at the top, at middle linebacker.