Local Athlete Kaue Akana Commits to BYU Football After Official Visit

On Tuesday, Orem High School star Kaue Akana committed to 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 7th best prospect in the state of Utah in the 2026 recruiting class per 247Sports and just one point away from four-star status.

COMMITTED!! @CoachJayHill @kalanifsitake @BlairAngulo @BrandonHuffman #GoCougs #byucougars #cougarnation #provo #BYU pic.twitter.com/DWEfGWhcH4
— Kaue Akana (@akana_kaue) July 1, 2025

Akana took official visits to Utah and UCLA, but it was BYU that won out after Akana took an official visit to Provo. 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 over the last few months. 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 now BYU five-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.

Five-star QB Ryder Lyons on his BYU official visit with Orem star and priority BYU target Kaue Akana pic.twitter.com/xc3lsiHpCI
— Casey Lundquist (@casey_lundquist) June 22, 2025

Akana is arguably the most verstaile player in the state. He stars on both offense and defense for Orem High School. Last year, 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.

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.