PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball coach Dave Rose announced today in conjuncton with BYU football that Corbin Kaufusi will play both football and basketball in 2016-17.
Kaufusi, a 6-foot-10, 255-pound athlete, will work out with both teams during the summer and transition full-time to football for fall camp in August where he will play on the defensive line. At the end of the football season, Kaufusi will join the basketball team for the remainder of the season.
“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.”
Kaufusi originally signed a National Letter of Intent to play football at BYU while at Timpview High School. Following his two-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Kaufusi joined the basketball team.
Over the last two seasons, Kaufusi has played in 70 games and started 36. He has career averages of 4.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 59.6 percent from the field. In 2015-16 he averaged 5.7 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 61.2 percent from the field, the fourth-best single-season field goal percentage in BYU history.
“We’re excited for Corbin to have this opportunity,” Rose said. “We’re very supportive of this decision and will look forward to having him back with us full-time when the football season is over.”
As a prep football athlete at Timpview High School, Kaufusi helped the Thunderbirds win a pair of state titles and was named second-team all-state as a senior. Kaufusi will be a sophomore in eligibility on the football team in 2016 and a junior with the basketball team.
In playing both sports, Kaufusi follows in the footsteps of his brother Bronson who played four years of football and one season of basketball for the Cougars. Bronson, who enjoyed BYU graduation commencement Thursday after finishing his statistics degree in December, is preparing for next week’s NFL Draft.
“We’re excited to welcome Corbin to the football program,” BYU football 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.”