Ilaisa Tuiaki: Mormon Coach

Ilaisa Tuiaki is defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Brigham Young University.

Tuiaki is a native of Provo, Utah, where he played for Timpview High School. He played for Snow College and then Southern Utah University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in English and Physical Education. He also played rugby at SUU.

He first coached for Kearns High School where he coached receivers and outside linebackers and then was offensive coordinator. In 2008 he was defensive graduate assistant at the University of Utah. From 2009 to 2011 he coached at Utah State University, first with running backs and special teams, and then running backs. He went back to the Utes during 2012 through 2014, where he coached fullbacks and tight ends the first year, then the defensive line the following two years. He was nominated for the Broyles Award in 2013 for the nation’s top assistant coach. He was the only non-coordinator to receive the recognition. In 2014, he was a finalist for Defensive Line Coach of the Year.

During the 2015 season he coached linebackers and special teams at Oregon State. He came to BYU with Sitake in December 2015 as his defensive coordinator.

Tuiaki is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served as a full-time missionary in New York. He and his wife, Viola, are the parents of six children.