We’re 56 days away from the Utes kicking off the 2024 college football season. Happy Fourth of July to everyone! With 56 days left, it’s time to discuss No. 56 Ka’eo Akana.

As a redshirt-freshman, the 6-foot-3 and 233 pound Akana played in eight games in 2023, mainly on special teams. Heading into the 2024 season, Akana will be a part of a dangerous and talented defensive end rotation.

UteNation Take

Akana was listed as a 205-pound defensive end coming out of Roosevelt HS, so two years in a college strength program has helped as he is up to 233 pounds. Akana was a menace in high school, recording 40.5 tackles (25.0 TFL), 13.0 sacks, and two forced fumbles in his senior season alone.

It’s taken him time to add necessary weight for the position, but solid progress in that department has been made this offseason. This led to Akana having a promising spring ball performance. With his added weight, Akana finds himself closer and closer to being able to be a consistent part of the defensive ends rotation, but another 10-15 pounds is still needed — which would put him firmly in the conversation.

With Jonah Elliss off to the NFL and Chad Kennedy transferring to Arizona, a spot is open in Utah’s two-deep. Van Fillinger, Connor O’Toole, and Spencer Fano will be the mainstays in the rotation. Akana will fight for the other spot in the two-deep rotation with transfers John Henry Daley (BYU) and Paul Fitzgerald (Utah State).

Remembering Akana’s Recruitment

Akana was a big part of Utah’s strong finish to the 2022 class, flipping his commitment from Boise State to the Utes. The 3-star out of Hawaii held 14 offers, mostly from schools in the Pac-12 and Big Ten.