Kaue Akana Will Bring Versatility to the BYU Football Program

A sellout crowd at Lavell Edwards Stadium takes in BYU's season-opening win over Southern Illinois | BYU Photo

On Wednesday, Orem High School star Kaue Akana signed with Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program. Akana is one of the top in-state prospects in the 2026 recruiting class. He is ranked the 15th best prospect in the state of Utah in the 2026 recruiting class per 247Sports and just one point away from four-star status.

Akana took official visits to Utah and UCLA, but it was BYU that won out after Akana took an official visit to Provo over the Summer. Akana's recruitment was still growing during the Spring. He picked up competing offers from the likes of Oklahoma, Alabama, USC, Michigan State, UCF and Arkansas. He also had competing offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Cal, Kansas, Oregon, Texas A&M, SMU, and Washington.

Kaue Akana is close friends with BYU four-star commit Ryder Lyons. Akana and Lyons spent a lot of time together on the visit and they posted a TikTok from the BYU locker room that is up to 1.5 million views.

Akana is arguably the most verstaile player in the state. He was a star on both offense and defense for Orem High School. As a junior, he tallied over 1,200 receiving yards as a wide receiver, averaging 16.1 yards per reception. On defense, he had 58 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, and 1 sack.

Akana dealt with a few injuries as a senior, but when he was healthy, he was productive. In the state semifinals and state championship, he tallied 239 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns.

JR Szn Highlights!!

- 1227 Rec Yds
- 14 Rec Tds
- 76 Receptions
- 16.1 ypc
Offense (WR)-https://t.co/Bh4xMqnc7W

- 58 Tot
- 6 Tfl
- 4 Pbu
- 1 sack
- 2 ints
Defense (S/LB)-https://t.co/jEzRg2HaqC@BrandonHuffman@BlairAngulo@GregBiggins @ChadSimmons_ @SWiltfong_ @adamgorney

— Kaue Akana (@akana_kaue) December 2, 2024

Akana could play a variety of positions at BYU. For now, we are projecting him to end up at safety. However, he could slide over to the offensive side and play wide receiver, or he could grow into his frame a little more and end up at linebacker.

Akana's commitment represents another critical in-state recruiting win for BYU. Akana had no shortage of suitors, but he opted to stay close to home and play for BYU.