BYU adds 6-foot-10 basketball player Corbin Kaufusi to roster
BYU is adding size to its defensive line – a whole lot of it.
The school announced Friday that Corbin Kaufusi, a 6-foot-10, 255-pound center for the basketball team, will join the football team. Kaufusi is the son of BYU defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi and the brother of Bronson Kaufusi, who played defensive end for the Cougars from 2012-2015. Bronson had 64 tackles, 20 tackles for loss and 11 sacks as a senior and is expected to be an early or mid-round selection in next week’s NFL Draft.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play football at BYU,” Kaufusi said. “I’m really excited about what is happening with football. I’m looking forward to being coached by my dad and learning from him and my teammates. I’m grateful for the support of the basketball coaches as I pursue this opportunity.”
Corbin Kaufusi will “work out with both teams” during the summer before transitioning to football full-time for preseason camp. When the football season ends, he will rejoin the basketball team.
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Kaufusi actually signed with BYU as a football player out of high school, but ended up joining the basketball team instead when he returned from a two-year Mormon mission in 2014. On the basketball court, Kaufusi had played in 70 games, starting 36, over the past two seasons. He averaged 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 61.2 percent last season.
“We’re excited to welcome Corbin to the football program,” head coach Kalani Sitake said. “He’s a versatile athlete with great size, and we’re looking forward to seeing him develop his abilities both on the football field and the basketball court here at BYU.”
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Kaufusi, who was a second-team all-state selection as a senior at Timpview High School in Provo, will have sophomore eligibility for the football team in 2016.
For more BYU news, visit CougarNation.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
