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Photo by: Hunter Dyke/Utah Athletics
Q&A With Utah Football’s Keanu Tanuvasa
11/15/2024 9:00 AM | Football
Sophomore defensive tackle brings energy and physicality in the trenches
SALT LAKE CITY – Keanu Tanuvasa has become a mainstay on the Utah defensive line over the last two seasons.
After playing in four games a true freshman in 2022, his role—and production—grew tremendously the following year. He started every game during his second year with the team, going on to be named CFN Freshman All-America.
He continues to bring energy and physicality in 2024, and those qualities were rewarded by Tanuvasa's teammates during Fall camp when he was voted to the team's leadership council.
Before the Utes jet off to Colorado for a meeting with the Buffaloes, UtahUtes.com visited with Tanuvasa to talk football, personality and his family history in the program.
How is everyone turning the page and getting ready for Colorado?
"We stated at the beginning of the season that our goal was to go 1-0 each week; meaning regardless of the outcome of the past week, we focus on what's next. We move on from the last game and put all our effort in going forward. The way we're doing that is being all-in in practice. Every drill we're part of, having the same juice that we had at the start of the season. Just loving the game."
Do you like the 10 a.m. kickoff?
"It'll be interesting. I've talked to the boys—a lot of us love early games. We're looking forward to it."
Defensively, what needs to go well this week to come out with the win?
"I think we need to play Utah defense—which is very physical football. We need to be very good in the pass game; (Colorado's) a high pass percentage team. With that, everyone doing their fundamentals and technique. And buying into not only the culture but the scheme of the week."`
You and Junior Tafuna bring a lot of energy to the defense and the team as a whole, on and off the field. What fuels that part of your personality?
"Since I came in my freshman year, me and Junior have just hit it off. All of us in the room are extremely tight and close. But I feel a special connection to Junior; not being blood brothers, but we're just connected in that brotherly love. Playing next to each other, side by side, having very similar but different personalities, very similar energies but different characteristics. We come up with these little things—I'm 'Dom' and he's 'Nate.'" (Dominate!)
You've worked with Coach Elliss for three seasons, what have you learned from him?
"I've really been able to lock in on the fundamentals of how to play defensive tackle. One thing I love that sustains a great player—you learn it from Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Aaron Donald—whatever the case is, can you do the basics to the best of your ability? Can your technique hit 90% or 99% of the time? That's what his focus is; always having inside hands, always having knock-back. Those basic things. Not getting too fancy, but being great at the basics, is what makes a dominant, great player."
Your dad played at the Utah in the mid-'90s, what did you learn from him about the U when you were being recruited?
"Really the family orientation. Coach Whitt was one of the coaches that coached my dad back in the day. And so with that, it's a super cool connection that I can have from learning who Whitt was before I came to the U. Now being under Coach Whitt, his intensity hasn't changed, his fire and drive haven't changed. He's been that way since the '90s and he's still that way today. It trickles down throughout the coaches and now I get to play with that same intensity."
Crunchin' The Numbers
Facts and figures to serve alongside the eggs and hashbrowns on Saturday…
4 – seasons since the Utes last played a 10 a.m. (local time) kickoff. Coincidentally, it was also at Colorado and also aired on FOX on the snowy morning of Dec. 12, 2020. Utah scored 28 unanswered points in the second half that day en route to the win, with Ty Jordan finishing with 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
70 – games in the all-time series between Utah and Colorado, which dates back to 1903. The Utes are looking to extend a seven-game winning streak against CU, which began in the 2017 season when both teams were in the Pac-12.
23.8 – percentage of third-down attempts that Utah's opponents have converted. It's the lowest tally nationwide, a tribute to the physicality throughout each layer of the Utes' defense.
6 – number of sacks this season by defensive end Van Fillinger. It's a single-season career-high for the senior and ranks third in the Big 12.
5 – starts to date this season by true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson.
FOLLOW UTAH FOOTBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Follow along with behind the scenes content and coverage throughout the season on social media through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience that offers access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos, and allows fans to buy and manage game tickets and order concessions straight from their mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
After playing in four games a true freshman in 2022, his role—and production—grew tremendously the following year. He started every game during his second year with the team, going on to be named CFN Freshman All-America.
He continues to bring energy and physicality in 2024, and those qualities were rewarded by Tanuvasa's teammates during Fall camp when he was voted to the team's leadership council.
Before the Utes jet off to Colorado for a meeting with the Buffaloes, UtahUtes.com visited with Tanuvasa to talk football, personality and his family history in the program.
@utah_football Mic'd up with Keanu Tanuvasa ??? #GoUtes ? original sound - Utah Football
How is everyone turning the page and getting ready for Colorado?
"We stated at the beginning of the season that our goal was to go 1-0 each week; meaning regardless of the outcome of the past week, we focus on what's next. We move on from the last game and put all our effort in going forward. The way we're doing that is being all-in in practice. Every drill we're part of, having the same juice that we had at the start of the season. Just loving the game."
Do you like the 10 a.m. kickoff?
"It'll be interesting. I've talked to the boys—a lot of us love early games. We're looking forward to it."
Defensively, what needs to go well this week to come out with the win?
"I think we need to play Utah defense—which is very physical football. We need to be very good in the pass game; (Colorado's) a high pass percentage team. With that, everyone doing their fundamentals and technique. And buying into not only the culture but the scheme of the week."`
You and Junior Tafuna bring a lot of energy to the defense and the team as a whole, on and off the field. What fuels that part of your personality?
"Since I came in my freshman year, me and Junior have just hit it off. All of us in the room are extremely tight and close. But I feel a special connection to Junior; not being blood brothers, but we're just connected in that brotherly love. Playing next to each other, side by side, having very similar but different personalities, very similar energies but different characteristics. We come up with these little things—I'm 'Dom' and he's 'Nate.'" (Dominate!)
You've worked with Coach Elliss for three seasons, what have you learned from him?
"I've really been able to lock in on the fundamentals of how to play defensive tackle. One thing I love that sustains a great player—you learn it from Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Aaron Donald—whatever the case is, can you do the basics to the best of your ability? Can your technique hit 90% or 99% of the time? That's what his focus is; always having inside hands, always having knock-back. Those basic things. Not getting too fancy, but being great at the basics, is what makes a dominant, great player."
Your dad played at the Utah in the mid-'90s, what did you learn from him about the U when you were being recruited?
"Really the family orientation. Coach Whitt was one of the coaches that coached my dad back in the day. And so with that, it's a super cool connection that I can have from learning who Whitt was before I came to the U. Now being under Coach Whitt, his intensity hasn't changed, his fire and drive haven't changed. He's been that way since the '90s and he's still that way today. It trickles down throughout the coaches and now I get to play with that same intensity."
Crunchin' The Numbers
Facts and figures to serve alongside the eggs and hashbrowns on Saturday…
4 – seasons since the Utes last played a 10 a.m. (local time) kickoff. Coincidentally, it was also at Colorado and also aired on FOX on the snowy morning of Dec. 12, 2020. Utah scored 28 unanswered points in the second half that day en route to the win, with Ty Jordan finishing with 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
70 – games in the all-time series between Utah and Colorado, which dates back to 1903. The Utes are looking to extend a seven-game winning streak against CU, which began in the 2017 season when both teams were in the Pac-12.
23.8 – percentage of third-down attempts that Utah's opponents have converted. It's the lowest tally nationwide, a tribute to the physicality throughout each layer of the Utes' defense.
6 – number of sacks this season by defensive end Van Fillinger. It's a single-season career-high for the senior and ranks third in the Big 12.
5 – starts to date this season by true freshman quarterback Isaac Wilson.
FOLLOW UTAH FOOTBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA!
Follow along with behind the scenes content and coverage throughout the season on social media through Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok along with visiting www.UtahUtes.com.
OFFICIAL MOBILE APP OF UTAH ATHLETICS – UTAH 360
The official mobile app of Utah Athletics is Utah 360. Download it today to unlock a refreshed game-day experience that offers access to news and information, schedules, rosters, stats and behind-the-scenes videos, and allows fans to buy and manage game tickets and order concessions straight from their mobile device. The app is available in both the Apple Store (download) and Google Play (download). Add it today, access your game tickets and download them to your smartphone's wallet to make yourself game-day ready!
Players Mentioned
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