7/10/2019 football Edit

Ute Nation Countdown to Kickoff: Fua Pututau

Andrew Fronce • UteNation

Senior Writer

The countdown is halfway done. 50 days from now, the Utes will travel to Provo to take on BYU in the first game of the 2019 season. There are two guys that will be wearing number 50 this year, one on each side of the ball. Orlando Umana was highlighted in a previous article, which can be found here. The other is defensive end Fua Pututau, who will be competing for a role on the defensive line after redshirting last season.

Pututau returned from a mission last year and joined the team, after committing to the Utes as part of the 2016 class. Originally, there was some debate about whether Pututau would follow in his older brother's footsteps and play defensive tackle, or if he would play defensive end like he did in high school. Pututau hovered around 270-275 pounds as a true freshman, but after a year in Utah's strength and conditioning program, he's down to a svelte 260 and has found a home at defensive end.

Andrew Fronce's take

Pututau showed some good things in spring camp this year, but he still needs to become more consistent if he's to challenge for playing time in the defensive end rotation. He has the size needed to be an effective end, and with some time to refine his technique and learn from his coaches and peers, he should turn into a solid defender on the edge. Depending on what he's able to do in fall camp, Pututau could earn some snaps on defense this year, but he should be an important contributor on special teams, regardless.

Alex remembers Pututau's recruitment

As a three-star defensive end out of Cottonwood HS, Pututau was rated the no. 38 weakside defensive end in he 2016 class. While he had five Pac-12 offers, his decision ultimately came down to three schools: Utah, BYU and Colorado. The decision was relatively easy for Fua, as he had the opportunity to play with his older brother, Hauati, at Utah. Their brother Taniela would follow in 2018, and their cousin Tennesse a year after that—in what is expected to be a immensely talented group of family members.