alt=Jay DrewPROVO — Not all of the 19 seniors who will be honored Saturday prior to BYU’s home finale against Idaho State will actually play in the game, unless it becomes a blowout, as expected, and they are inserted late for ceremonial purposes if they choose to suit up one last time.
Much has already been made of the fact that stars such as Aleva Hifo, Micah Simon, Dayan Ghanwoloku, Moroni Laulu-Pututau and Austin Lee and solid contributors such as JJ Nwigwe, Sam Baldwin, Trajan Pili, Sawyer Powell, Batchlor Johnson IV, Austin Kafentzis, Talon Shumway, Emmanuel Esukpa, Mitch Harris and Beau Tanner will play for the last time at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
But a handful of players whose careers were cut short due to injuries deserve to be celebrated as well, coach Kalani Sitake said Monday. That list includes offensive lineman Thomas Shoaf, defensive lineman Addison Pulsipher, running back Ty’Son Williams and quarterback/running back Beau Hoge.
“Honestly, I would do it all again for my guys on the offensive line. That’s what it is all about, being there for your teammates, doing everything you can to help them succeed.” — BYU offensive lineman Thomas Shoaf
“All the seniors have done some really good things for us,” Sitake said. “It has been a lot of fun. It went by really quickly and I know they have put a lot of hard work into establishing the team that we are right now. We look forward to seeing what they do in the future with their hard work and sacrifice.”
Shoaf, Pulsipher and Williams were injured earlier this season, while Hoge was sidelined the entire year.
“We are really appreciative for all the seniors, and what they’ve done,” said defensive coordinator Ilaisa Tuiaki. “A lot of them got banged up, but still did all they could to give us the chance to win.”
Shoaf, a former freshman All-American from Columbus, Indiana, fits that description. He arrived in Provo way back in 2013 and redshirted his first year, served a church mission to Hawaii in 2014-15, then started in nine games as a freshman, all 13 games as a sophomore and two as a junior before losing his starting position early last season.
An undersized tackle, Shoaf was on the PAT team and in the seven-player offensive line rotation before sustaining a season- and career-ending injury at South Florida.
“Honestly, I would do it all again for my guys on the offensive line,” Shoaf said when his playing time was dwindling, but before he was injured. “That’s what it is all about, being there for your teammates, doing everything you can to help them succeed.”
Shoaf went through five offensive line coaches in his BYU career, and played for four. He also excelled in the classroom and will graduate in April with a degree in civil engineering. Pulsipher will get his degree in mechanical engineering.
“We are the only ones dumb enough to try to do engineering and football at the same time,” said Shoaf, who interned with Spanish Fork City and is currently working for an engineering consulting firm in West Jordan.
Conversely, Ghanwoloku hopes his next job is in the National Football League. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back from Layton’s Northridge High is one of the top pro prospects from this senior class. He graduated last April with a degree in sociology and dreams of opening a franchise of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America after he gives the NFL a shot.
“Man, it is going to be emotional, for sure,” Ghanwoloku said of his final game at LES. “My senior year flew by. But we are just going to go out there and play ball and give it our all for the fans and the underclassmen, just go out there and ball for everyone. It is our last ride, and it is sad, but you just gotta win the game. That’s still the most important thing.”
Ghanwoloku said his fondest memory of playing in LES was probably the interception he made to seal the overtime win over USC in September.
“I kept the game ball from that one,” he said. “I got my own little trophy case for it. It has a USC (logo) on it. For sure, that was my biggest moment, my best memory.”
Ghanwoloku was one of the more fortunate seniors who didn’t miss a season or a bunch of games due to injury. Laulu-Pututau missed several after sustaining a Lisfranc foot injury and then an ACL tear.
“I am just grateful, man,” Laulu-Pututau said. “Just grateful to be here, grateful for the people who have surrounded me throughout the journey and helped me stay here, on and off the field, academically, physically. I just feel blessed. … I am just trying to soak it all in and cherish every moment that I have left.”
There are other storylines to the 1 p.m. game, such as the 5-4 Cougars needing the win to become bowl eligible, the opportunity to cement a winning record at home, where they are 3-2, and continued improvement after the 2-4 start. But Sitake has emphasized the seniors all week.
“We are going to respect every opponent we go against,” he said. “But this week we are going to be focused on things we can improve and make sure we are playing our best and doing it for our seniors.”
All 19 of them, whether they are in uniform or not.
Cougars on the air
Idaho State (3-7) at BYU (5-4)
At LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo
Saturday, 1 p.m.
TV: BYUtv/ESPN3
Radio: KSL 1160 AM, 102.7 FM