BYU Football: Returned Missionaries that will join BYU’s program in 2018

We’ve highlighted the transfers that will be playing for BYU in 2018 as well as immediate enrollees and mission first guys from the 2018 recruiting class, and now we dive into returned missionaries that will be joining the program in 2018. A handful are already in school and will be playing in Spring Ball, while a larger chunk will be joining once Fall Camp starts.

Here are the RM’s that are expected to join BYU’s program in 2018, per BYU’s official site.

Returned Missionaries Winter 2018 Start, Will play in Spring Ball

Jeremiah Ieremia LB: A 3-star LB from Hurricane, Utah, Ieriemia had scholarship offers from schools such as Washington, Boise State, Oregon State, and Utah State. The hard-hitting backer could be a candidate to crack the two-deep depth chart.

Hirkley Latu LB: A safety and running back in high school, Latu will likely play linebacker during his time in Provo. Latu nearly committed to Oregon State when Kalani Sitake was there, but ultimately chose BYU after Kalani became head coach.

Devin Kaufusi DL: Yep, another Kaufusi is coming to BYU. The younger brother of Corbin and Bronson was a 3-star recruit coming out of Timpview high school. It may be a few years before we see Devin a regular contributor, but it is always nice having a Kaufusi manning the defensive side of the ball.

David Lui DL: The 6’4, 255 lineman from the bay area played offensive and defensive line in high school, but will likely play along the defensive line at BYU.

Skyler Southam K: One of the top high school kickers in the country in 2016, Southam will look to come in and take the kicking job. Southam played in the U.S. All-American Bowl as senior, the premier high school All-American game in the country.

He made over 70% of his kicks during his high school career, including a long of 53 yards. He also was his team’s punter. BYU has struggled with kicks over 40 yards for awhile now, so Southam’s emergence is something to keep an eye on.

He showed off his leg a couple weeks ago with this 60-yard field goal.

Returned Missionaries Fall 2018 Start

Jaren Hall QB: It’s a shame Hall won’t be able to compete in Spring ball, because he’d have a legit shot to be among the leaders to start at QB heading into Fall Camp. The son of former BYU RB Kalin Hall, Jaren chose BYU over a late push from Utah. He’s a dual-threat QB with a little bit of Russell Wilson to his game.

Sione Finau RB: Sione will join his older brother Amone in the BYU backfield this season. The 3-star RB was originally committed to Oregon State when Kalani and Tuiaki were in Corvallis. Sione also played on the defensive side of the ball in high school, so it’s possible we could see a position change from him.

Hank Tuipulotu TE: Hank is a very good pass-catching TE who put up some eye-popping numbers at his South Carolina high school. In just 10 games, he had 105 receptions, 1,322 yards, and 17 touchdowns for Nation Ford High School. TE is a loaded group, but Hank has the talent to be a contributor.

Clark Barrington OL: Clark’s younger brother, Campbell, recently committed to BYU as part of the 2018 class and will go on a LDS mission. Clark is another body that will provide depth along the OL for BYU.

J.T. Gentry OL: Like Barrington, it may be a few years until we see Gentry contributing on the OL. Always good to have bodies there, though.

Atunaisa Mahe DL: Mahe mainly played at DT while at West Jordan High School. Assuming he bulks up from his high school days, he’ll likely play that spot at BYU.

Darius McFarland DL: McFarland is an athletic DE from Box Elder that will be joining BYU in time for Fall Camp.

Drew Jensen DB: The first of two promising RM safeties that will be joining BYU in Fall Camp. Jensen played both sides of the ball during his time at Brighton, and chose BYU over schools such as Utah and Oregon State.

Max Tooley DB: One of the top prospects in BYU’s 2016 class, the 4-star safety is a name to watch for in 2018 and beyond for Cougar fans. Tooley turned down Utah, Washington State, Cal, Colorado, Oregon State, and a host of other schools to play at BYU. He could be an immediate contributor in 2018.