Despite early buzz surrounding the BYU Cougars, it was the Colorado Buffaloes that landed a commitment from former Texas Longhorns linebacker Liona Lefau on Thursday.
The 6’1, 227-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining.
As a member of the 2023 recruiting class out of Laie (H.I.) Kahuku, Lefua pledged to Texas following a June official visit over Utah and Oregon. Lefau held 26 total offers, including Arizona, Arizona State, BYU, Cal, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas Tech, and USC, among others. When Lefau signed with the Horns, he was a consensus four-star prospect ranked as the No. 405 player nationally and the No. 32 linebacker, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
As a true freshman in 2023, Lefau appeared in all 14 games, playing almost 300 special teams snaps across five units and flashing his upside with eight tackles.
The following season, Lefau broke into the starting lineup with 63 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble. The Hawaiian developed a reputation as a sterling teammate, sure tackler, and made plays in pass coverage with three pass breakups in addition to his interception.
During Lefau’s junior season, cut short before the Citrus Bowl with his departure from the program, he started every game during the regular season and remained productive with 69 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and three passes broken up, but saw his overall snap count decrease as sophomore Ty’Anthony Smith earned more playing time.
