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Rising Star Nusi Taumoepeau: 'There's No Place I'd Rather Be Than BYU'

Taumoepeau is entering his true sophomore season in 2026
Casey Lundquist|
BYU defensive end Nusi Taumoepeau against TCU
BYU defensive end Nusi Taumoepeau against TCU | BYU Photo

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BYU Cougars

One year ago, four-star prospect Nusi Taumoeapeau was gearing up for his true freshman season at Stanford. Taumoepeau had been a priority target for the Cougars throughout his recruitment, but he eventually signed with the Stanford Cardinal in December of 2024. Then in March of 2025, Stanford fired head coach Troy Taylor following allegations of staff mistreatment.

Taumoepeau was released from his letter of intent after Taylor's firing. Following a brief re-recruitment, he opted to return back to him home state and play for BYU.

One year later, Taumoepeau described that change as a "much needed" time in his life.

"I just thank God for getting me through it," Taumoepeau told BYU On SI in an exclusive interview. "I think it was a lot of divine intervention in it. I just thank God and I'm in a wonderful place now at BYU...the support I get here and the love, you know, it is second to none. I just love being here and I love going to work with these guys, the coaches and to be able to represent BYU is an honor. So [the process of flipping to BYU] that was much needed in my life and so uh I'm just glad I'm here.

After the 2025 season, former BYU defensive coordinator Jay Hill left to Michigan. Given the current state of the transfer portal in college football, all eyes were on the BYU defenders and whether they would return to Provo or follow Hill to Ann Arbor. Taumoepeau was one of the first BYU players to announce his plans to "Run it Back" at BYU in 2026. Others followed suit and, eventually, every major contributor on defense announced their plans to return to BYU.

On why he was one of the first players to announce he was coming back amid the coaching uncertainty, Taumoepeau said, "Just building my relationships here and also just what I've seen with my own eyes. There's no place like BYU, and what makes it so special is the environment I'm in. This family environment, faith-filled environment, and also coaches and teammates that love you...there's no other place I'd rather be than BYU. I love representing them. I love representing these coaches and my teammates and my family, here repping the royal blue, you know. So there wasn't much going into that decision. I knew where I wanted to stay and yeah it's Cougs for life."

'A Blessing in Disguise'

In the early stages of BYU's 12-win season, the Cougars faced adversity on the road. After an extended weather delay in Tucson, the Cougars were struggling to stop an Arizona offense that was led by veteran quarterback Noah Fifita. After taking a 14-0 lead, Arizona scored 24 consecutive points to take a 24-14 lead.

In an effort to generate some quarterback pressure, BYU gave a few snaps to the true freshman Taumoepeau late in the game. He was making his college debut after suffering an injury in Fall Camp. Taumoepeau played only a few snaps, but he registered a quarterback pressure on the final third down in regulation, flushing Fifita from the pocket and helping the BYU defense get off the field. That pivotal third down stop allowed BYU to get the ball back and send the game to overtime.

Taumoepeau described his preseason injury a blessing in disguise that prepared him to make an instant impact once he was ready.

"Really the injury was a blessing," Taumoepeau said. "It gave me 8 weeks to prepare myself and made me feel comfortable in my weight."

Taumoepeau had gained 30 pounds between his senior year and Fall Camp. The time away gave him time to get back to a comfortable playing weight.

On making his college debut, Taumoepeau said, "Stepping on that field for the first time, it was a big time moment for me...just getting that first snap, everything went away and my confidence felt like it came back a little bit."

After the Arizona game, Taumoepeau grew into a larger role as the season progressed. He registered his first sack in the TCU game. On fourth down, Taumoepeau beat the right tackle off the edge and sacked Josh Hoover to end the game. The sack added some style points to a dominant all-around performance.

Taumoepeau went on to play 130 defensive snaps as a true freshman, and he finished the season with a pressure rate of 29.4%, narrowly ahead of star linebacker Jack Kelly. Kelly had a pressure rate of 29.3%. He finished 7th on the team in quarterback pressures, even though he ranked 13th in pass rush attempts.

His true freshman season culminated in his first career start against Georgia Tech in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

First Career Start Against Georgia Tech

When Jack Kelly was unavailable for the bowl game, Taumoepeau made his first career start in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. He generated a team-high six total pressures, including a quarterback hit on the final play of the game.

On 4th & 10 with 14 seconds remaining, Georgia Tech was 18 yards away from taking the lead. Taumoepeau came flying around the edge, beat the left tackle, and forced Haynes King to step up into the pocket and throw prematurely. The pressure led to the game-sealing interception by Evan Johnson.

Taumoepeau finished that game as BYU's leading tackler, and he had the second highest PFF grade among BYU defenders. He also forced a fumble in a critical moment - with his foot.

He told BYU On SI that the Georgia Tech game cemented his confidence in his ability to compete at the P4 level.

"I really think Georgia Tech cemented that for me," Taumoepeau said. "It really helped me just find me, find my own skin and, and find my own game...I was able to flow around and move around freely because I knew what I was doing as well, you know, so that's a big shout out to my teammates and my coaches, because I wouldn't have been there without them. They gave me the confidence I needed to go out there and start."

Now, Taumoepeau is healing up from an offseason surgery that he underwent in February. He will be ready to fully participate in Fall Camp later this year. Once he's healthy, we expect him to be a major contributor on BYU's defense. By season's end, he could be one of the faces of the defense.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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