Tanuvasa to TDS

[Anfernee]

*sigh*

[ironman1315]

F**k them.

[Tony (admin)]

More zoob chest pounding incoming…

[ArcheryUte]

Next man up – maybe we can find someone who will play a number of significant games.

[SteelUte]

Oh boy… Hate it. But, I hope crap like this amps up the team and coaches to beat the $#!t out of them next year.

[Jim Vanderhoof]

I’m with you steel. Jumping ship to your rival is not a good look. Fano brothers and Daily coming over from TDS definitely lit a fire under them. Players just want to get paid more but coaches and fans take it personally. Whitt and Scalley have to be upset and highly motivated to beat them next year.

[Tyler Henry]

At the end of the day, he really was not a game-changing player, let’s be honest. I understand that he may act as a leadership figure for the team, but I never understood why people freaked out when he announced he was leaving. We will fill his spot; I am not worried.

[Trailgoat]

Agree. Utah coaches probably didn’t feel he was worth the investment as a player or leader who played only half the 2024 season. Didn’t play up to expectations after a good 2023 season. Take the emotion out of it, by Utah dline standards, a very average player that can’t stay on the field. Honestly, didn’t even know he was out most of the season. Probably lost in the large list of injured players. After the 10/19 TCU game, looks like he only played in the BYU game, then disappeared again. Money saved for better players that can consistently contribute. Moving onto the next man up.

[HATUman]

No, he was a really good player. Our issue with him is that he was always injured. So… if we play BYU later in the year the likelihood of him being available for that game is pretty low. We’ll be fine.

[AdamDudeAmi]

Very disappointing he was one of my favorite players heading into next year. Was it strictly a money play?

[EagleMountainUte]

Tell me your favorite play he made this season.

[China Rider]

Que sera, sera. Said he was staying. Said he was leaving. Wanted more than was being offered. The pockets said good luck. Just like the real world.

[UteFanatic]

“Utah man till I die”

F*ck that loser. Glad he’s gone. We’ll be fine on the D-Line.

[SalUteopia]

This makes me sick!!! I just don’t get the Utah-TSPP rivalry. Do players / coaches transfer between tOSU-UM, UGA-FL, Bama-Auburn, etc.?! I read that Kirk Herbsteit’s son is joining UM, and he was p**sed that Ryan Day didn’t congratulate him.
I hate that Jay Hill is coaching there, and we have Beck. Now I get the whole irony about Whitt being our GOAT, but there is something icky and milquetoast about this whole rivalry.

[Utah]

It’s the church thing. Mormons think BYU is Jesus’s church and that by having BYU, they will take over the world someday with their propaganda.

Some Utah fans are mormons. So they are stuck in this weird place where on Sunday they are told to that BYU is for Mormon Jesus and Mormon Jesus it the best and you have to do everything you can to protect Mormon Jesus and then on Saturday they yell and scream with other Utah fans who hate BYU. And they can’t realize that their church does some really f**ked up stuff and it’s ok of other people hate that church. And so they feel this need to defend this church and BYU, even though this church and BYU just takes, takes, takes and gives little to nothing in return, other than “good feelings”.

Look at Whitt/Scalley/Kalani/Hill vs Urban.

Urban was cool with the rivalry. He was ok with it and ok with beating them and pounding them.

Urban would not go up 10 points over and over and over and over and let his foot up off the gas.

But Whitt? Whitt has a loyalty to BYU where he promised with pantomiming killing himself in the temple if the didn’t do everything he could to build up the kingdom of god, and BYU is a part of that. So he can beat BYU, but he can’t run up the score, because Mormon Jesus would be sad he did so.

And same with Utah-LDS fans. They have to go to church and hear about how Mormon Jesus is sad that they don’t root for BYU and Mormon Jesus is disappointed in them.

That’s what is so icky with this rivalry.

And in the same vein, the mormon Utah fans will read my post and get their garments in a twist because what I said is true, but I didn’t say it in the way that makes it seem like it’s cool and normal stuff going on.

And mormon Utah fan will side with BYU fan on the rivalry and run to cougarboard and post there how awful Utah fans are because we don’t let their weirdness slide.

It’s weird.

[Ute Dub]

None of what you said is it. This is about Football and money. That’s it. The main variable that changed was money. Utah didn’t value Tanuvasa going back on his word and renegotiating

“Whitt has a loyalty to BYU where he promised with pantomiming killing himself in the temple if the didn’t do everything he could to build up the kingdom of god, and BYU is a part of that.” Whitt beat BYU 9 times in a row and he is notorious for shortening the game.

I will say I don’t think Whitt hates Sitake, Hill, and Roderick like he did Donco. Donco lit a fire under Whitt.

Basically, you want Whitt out because of his religion. Is that right?

[UteBaron89]

Were you Uncle and UtelemaHarrington on UteZone? lol.

[RedUte14]

You should look up the definition of “bigotry”, the first step is always denial.

[GameForAnyFuss]

And in the same vein, the mormon Utah fans will read my post and get their garments in a twist because what I said is true

I’m a Mormon Utah fan. I read your post. What you said isn’t true.

[Dallas]

Wow where did this come from? @Utah been sitting on this for a while.

[Roy Rangum]

Utah: you don’t like the LDS church. That’s fine. And your primary point that some LDS players will want to play for BYU because of religion is in my opinion completely true. But inserting a long list of grievances with the LDS church in the middle of a football discussion is not only unnecessary, it also doesn’t fit with the atmosphere of everything I love about Ute Hub. Unnecessarily bringing religion and politics into sports talk is almost a surefire way to turn this site into a toxic mess. If you need to vent about the LDS church, that’s fine, there’s other places online you can do that. But don’t do it here.

[Ted Lasso]

@Utah you’ve had some good takes in the past but you come off as a little bitch in this post

[ALUF]

Quit making me like you Ted!! I’m supposed to hate you!

[ALUF]

You are so misguided and foolish. Read a book

[HATUman]

Looks like we found the local bigot.

[lgt4141]

Defense is the least of Utah’s problems. I think the D will be fine. This sucks but it makes me wonder if there are underclassmen who have a greater upside.

Everyone who left on offense wasn’t much of a surprise. I think next year has the potential to be exciting with the additions to offense.

[AZUTE]

Here’s the deal byu way overpaid for Clegg and Nu. Utah USC and Michigan just weren’t willing to match. BYU doesn’t have billions of dollars for football NIL like some in here like to think. They will not get and good return on investment from these two players.

This is as much about PR for them as it is football.

Utah already has multiple DL recruit visits set up they will be fine.

BYU got three players from Utah that are right in their wheelhouse. Along with Gentry and Akana. All LDS they have nothing else to offer so their recruiting window is very small so they have to overpay with NIL. To guarantee they at least get the LDS players in the portal.

[UteThunder]

Overpaying only hurts them if it prevents them from signing additional players. So far, I haven’t seen anything to indicate this is the case.

This is a win for them and a loss for us. No other way to spin it.

[AZUTE]

From a PR standpoint yes but Utah will fill that hole with a player of equal or greater talent.

[Rick Walker]

How much more is byu paying for these guys than Utah or anyone else

[AZUTE]

I don’t know exact figures but I know Utah rates players and has a scale based on ability and need. They are not going to overpay just for the sake of keeping a player.

Utah already has a couple of DL scheduled to visit very soon

[Utesbyfive]

I wish him nothing.

[utefansince79]

All about the $$$$

F**k money

[Utes 69]

the only way these boys are not going to jump ship to tspp is to beat their ass next year. Whitt needs to get his act together . success over the zoobs is the only revenge that will be needed!

[Extra Medium]

Transfers a dead to me. I cheer for the name on the front of the jersey. I will not wish them anything. Go. Be gone. You’re in the way so get out.

[//r00t4Utes]

Maybe it’s posted on other threads, but there’s been all sorts of tampering talk online, and tds fans have not been shying away from it. Trying to get Utah defensive players who aren’t in the portal to enter the portal with promises of double or more in NIL.

Now, as we all know, every team is tampering it’s just more common to hear Oregon, U$C or Bama or Michigan, etc… as the team.

Will be curious if this gets the Utah donors upset enough to kick up their donations.

[EMUte#2]

Stepping over quarters to pick up nickels. Dumb move. These kids don’t think long term. These kids will regret it.

[Utah#1]

BYU feeling invincible right now with their football team recording a huge bowl win and finishing an 11-2 season that’s got them flying above cloud 9. I’ve noticed that BYU has been more vocal and public lately with their football and basketball recruiting acquisitions wanting the whole world to know what they are doing, especially their rival Utah. They’ve now gone one step further and tampered with players taking Tanuvasa, but missing on Barton and Snowden.

BYU’s recent actions with the Portal and NIL, IMO, have intentionally crossed the line hitting below the belt letting Utah know, “we are going to destroy you slowly and do what we want, when we want, and how we want, and we know there is nothing you can do about it, because you haven’t done anything about it but go after G5 level players. we have unlimited resources (money) available at our disposal and we have the backing of BYU alum in key positions of the state legislature to oversee every public universities athletic program, who is not private, to ensure they follow standards accordingly dictated by the local Utah state government.”

This is how I see it. I dont recall or heard anything Utah tampering or interfering with players at BYU when joining the Pac12. What I feel is BYU has taken it personal with Utah joining the Pac12 a decade ago and are seeking revenge beyond belief and hell-bent on personally destroying Utah doing it slowly to avoid making it appear as such and any legal ramifications.

Those are my thoughts based off what has transpired since the season ended and the portal.

[Kellso]

I think this is a bit of an overreaction. They are just a mediocre team who had a good year. They have always run their mouths, even in bad years. Have faith in the Utah football program. They will reload and start the dominance vs the provo team again. When they get called out for dirty play or cheating, they scream persecution, discrimination. That is something we have lived with for years. The Utes will be back.

[jshame17]

I used to think like you, but in this new world, byu can buy anything they really want. Utah simply cannot.

Barton was comical and probably a strategic cover for what they are doing, since he would never spit on his family legacy.

I’m honestly shocked we held onto Snowden. Kid has character. Ute legend now.

[Stone]

I keep hearing references to “tampering” – what even does that mean? And who really cares? It seems so trivial to concern oneself with such an arbitrary rule (to the extent there even is one). Is the NCAA actually enforcing some rules about tampering? Does the NCAA even really exist as an entity anymore in the NIL college football landscape? This is the wild west. If a sponsor/booster wants to contact a kid to play for the school they support, they are going to do it. Quibbling over whether there was tampering seems to be missing the point of what is happening with NIL.

[Rick Walker]

It isn’t actually tampering, but it absolutely should be. That’s what upsets people

[EagleMountainUte]

What did Utah do to the Lobos? Tampering is quite the word. They woodshedded that team.

[Rick Walker]

Yeah, that should be tampering, I’m not gonna deny it. The only none of this is considered tampering is because it’s not illegal, but I personally think it should be. You’re always gonna get some level of stuff like this but right now it’s just a madhouse.

[Stone]

Completely agree. Everyone is doing this – including Utah. The cries about tampering seem whiney to me. Sign players to NIL deals or don’t. Whining about whether there was tampering is asinine.

[//r00t4Utes]

There’s nuance differences, such as even before the current xfer portal rules, players were allowed to xfer when their coaches left and much of the time followed coaches to their new job.

The line being crossed most fans don’t like, and as you said, is crossed by every school, is when high-level starting players who are not in the portal and have no interest in leaving are contacted through back door methods to lure them into the portal.

There’s been “socially accepted ” rules breaking for decades because it’s just how it’s been. And now, unless there’s enforceable rule changes, this is the new norm that fans will have to get used to or stop carrying and being fans.

[BD]

BYU feeling invincible right now with their football team …

What I feel is BYU has taken it personal with Utah joining the Pac12 a decade ago and are seeking revenge beyond belief and hell-bent on personally destroying Utah doing it slowly to avoid making it appear as such and any legal ramifications.

This is exactly how their fans feel. I haven’t visited Cougarboard in a long time, and I don’t plan on it (I’ve already showered for today – I don’t want to do it again), but I am sure the narratives there are exactly what you posted. And, I wouldn’t be surprised if some of their big donors are thinking the same thing.

And there are lots of trashy X posts by BYU fans that I have seen that portray this attitude.

However, if we give in to the ridiculous idea that they are going to destroy us, then they have at least won from an emotional point of view. Which is exactly what they are trying to do.

Their tactic is to overwhelm anybody (and specifically Ute fans) with numbers. They will post more frequently, and round up their internet army to destroy any narrative that is positive for Utah and negative for them. And, it seems to be working among some, maybe many, of our fans. If they can destroy our confidence, then they think they can destroy the program.

I find it to be despicable behavior by them based on what they are supposed to stand for – what they claim Byu stands for – and then they act as opposite to that as they can. Especially when they use false narratives to prove a point. For example, on X, a BYU fan was trying to use the situation of a BYU player announcing entering the portal and how the player wasn’t attacked by the fans, and how Ute fans do attack players and thus Ute fans are despicable people, blah blah blah. But it wasn’t even anywhere near the same type of situation as Tanuvasa, thus setting up a false, lying narrative. It’s a trash approach and BYU fans use it all the time. But it is what it is.

My final point is this – Kyle Whittingham and Morgan Scalley and unbelievably competitive coaches. More so than Sitake, in my opinion. Byu has done a lot of things right – but they do not have the power to destroy Utah.

Don’t let their virus affect your mind, man. Let logic rule your way of thinking.

[krindor]

Honestly, as someone who has feet in both Utah and BYU fandom, I mostly just feel bad for the kid

He was building a legacy and meaning at Utah. And then he left it for the promise of short term monetary gain. And with that he’s given up the feeling of being able to come back beloved anywhere in 20 years as a returning hero….which is worth more

I don’t know that I can hate him for it – money can be enticing and I can’t say I wouldn’t have done the same. He has my pity and sympathy more than my anger

[Jim Vanderhoof]

Good post krindor. BYU must have a better political science program. He might have a future in politics. He can be bought and is all talk. He said all the right things to win the fans over at Utah then sells out to the rival.

[BD]

Very good point krindor.

At first I was angry at him but now I just feel sorry for him.

He’ll miss out on bring a legacy guy. Ute fans and players loved him. Now he’s throwing that away. Sure he can be loved by BYU fans but now he has to learn a new system and take the time to be effective there. He was a defensive leader at Utah and now he has an uphill battle of accomplishing the same thing at BYU. It’s a risk for him for sure.

Even if he is very successful at BYU, he’ll always – forever and ever – be hated by half the Utah population and will always feel like he’ll have to defend his decision to leave Utah and go to a rival.

[ALUF]

Wish him the worst at byu that they lose every game..f**k byu

[highlandute7]

Feel much better that we kept Snowden and the Fano bros than losing this loser.

[J]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/4912270/keanu-tanuvasa

8 solo tackles in a year. You can find better.

[J]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/stats/_/id/4912270/keanu-tanuvasa

8 solo tackles in a year. You can find better.

[J]

8 solo tackles in a year. You can find better.

[ironman1315]

I am not sure we can find better. Can you say it again just to reassure us?

[J]

I think we can. Asu run game is getting stuffed. This same O line move our defensive line.

[UteBaron89]

For those unsure, tampering involves contacting a player who is not in the portal to lure him into the portal. It isn’t negotiating with a player who is already in the portal. Apparently, it is against NCAA rules, but the NCAA isn’t going to bother policing it because they have lost their power. It also appears that there are coaches speaking out about it here: https://247sports.com/article/uconn-football-coach-jim-mora-threatens-teams-for-tampering-breaking-transfer-portal-rules-243097413/.

In my opinion, the coaches who are vocally opposing this like Mora are the ones who aren’t doing it (why would you publicly complain if you could get caught too?). If you’re getting poached due to tampering and saying nothing, that indicates to me that you’re doing it too so you keep your mouth shut about it. Logically, this means Utah is doing it and UConn isn’t. If Utah isn’t doing it, they should absolutely be putting BYU on blast and anyone else who is tampering with their signed players. I kinda love what Mora is saying.

[DataUte]

This. I love these coaches speaking out. Sometimes it’s the Kiffin types that lead to attention and hopefully some change, but really, the NCAA enforcement is dead. FB needs a new oversight group that sets up collective NIL caps (can’t cap the actual endorsements, which is totally fine), portal timing/rules (only in April, no spring practice, only summer/fall practice/camp?), enforcement of tampering (or like Deion suggests, you have to compensate the prior school as well for the development of that player), etc.

[jshame17]

This can be 2 possible scenarios as to why they are not speaking out:

Perhaps Utah has done some questionable practices in the past, so maybe they are still doing it also?

Is this evidence Whitt will never publicly speak out against, or do anything that will harm BYU’s reputation?

[EagleMountainUte]

I kind of feel like it is a no win situation either way. You can never really prove who initiated the contact.
I feel it is like if you caught your spouse cheating. Does it matter how it happened? Best to move forward and find someone else or work on your relationship. Maybe not a 1:1 comparison because there are much deeper feelings in a relationship. But the reality is Tanuvasa didn’t want to be with Utah. His stat line and play time wasn’t that exceptional and TSPP “won”.

Everything I heard TSPP lost heavily on Barton and Snowden though. Like tons of money was thrown their way and they stayed with the team.

Putting TSPP on blast for something only highlights how much you may have wanted the kid and failed. Or you move on get someone else that can easily replicate his contribution. Which defensively I just don’t see a problem here.

[Stone]

I find the “tampering” cries to be whiney sore loser cries. Now that the NIL floodgates are open, it seems hyper-technical and silly to create some arbitrary boundary as to when an individual is allowed to talk to another individual. I question whether such a rule is even enforceable.

NIL is a free for all at this point. If a player gets offered more money by a booster elsewhere, the player can go there. The U of U has the opportunity to try retaining the player with money. The player then makes a decision. Complaining about whether the conversations happened during the proper window of time is a hyper-technical concern that is entirely meaningless. Until there is an organized agreement and structure to this new world of NIL and transfers, all is fair game.

I am not defending the NIL system, I am just saying the complaints about tampering sound whiney. “but…but… your school contacted our player when he was not officially in the portal…” Money talks.

[jshame17]

But you are defending NIL and “money” over everything.

It’s clearly a violation of trust that every level of professional sports leagues follow, because everyone knows it’s wrong.

The “it’s technically not against the rules” is one of the most morally corrupt excuses for anything and frankly, it’s gross.

[EagleMountainUte]

It isn’t wrong when Utah does it though. Or you choose to ignore it and call it wild Wild West.

Bottom line player A is looking around and you lost. Utah programs don’t care because they don’t have time to look into a player loss. You just move on and do it to another team

[jshame17]

I’ll add this ….

Anyone that uses the “technically not wrong” excuse, is a bad person that I wouldn’t trust as an employee, business partner or friend because they WILL eventually stab you in the back.

Just like byu has shown to do multiple times….

[EagleMountainUte]

Well good thing when it comes to morals I have none because I don’t give a s**t about made up “tampering”
Rules.

I am not even saying technically. I am saying it is a made up fan thing. Just like people who think Urban should have been loyal to Utah because he made it here or some bulls**t. College football is a business and the fans of Utah are not some arbiter of morals.

[Rick Walker]

Someone literally posted the rules where it is in fact tampering. The NCAA just doesn’t have a spine to do anything about it because they’ll just get sued and lose.

[Stone]

I am not defending NIL. I am saying that if we are going to have NIL (which we do) and there is no real structure, complaining about tampering is whiney. NIL is officially sponsorship money. Sponsors are not subject to rules about talking to people. If Ken Garff Auto Mall wants to talk to a player at another school and offer him sponsor money if he plays at the U of U, they can do so whether they players is in the transfer portal or not. To the extent it is a violation of some NCAA rule, I would argue it is completely unenforceable as a violation of the first amendment. You cannot restrict speech in that manner.

The players are essentially professional now. Nike and Ken Garff can talk to whomever they want. They are not subject to NCAA rules. Even employers can recruit employees from other employers (Burger King can recruit McDonalds employees). The tampering rule only works if everyone has agreed to it–i.e., the NFL has an agreed upon structure that the entire league follows. NIL is not in the same category because it is boosters and sponsors, not the teams themselves (even assuming all teams have agreed to the terms, which I question).

Why is it not tampering when Utah talks to and hires a coach from New Mexico? Explain that. Utah can hire a coach under contract at another school? Sounds like tampering. That is the real world. People can talk to whomever they want. Employees can talk to whomever they want. If you are sad that another employer offered your employee more, then buck up and pay more or make they employee sign a binding contract for a longer period of time.

There is no meaningful difference between hiring Beck or hiring a player (in fact, hiring the player is less objectionable because it is not technically the school doing it – it is a booster agreeing to pay NIL money). I agree with EagleMountainU – it is cuckish to whine about your player running off to sign with another school because the player was contacted during an improper period of time. Your girlfriend runs off with another dude – do you complain about how your girlfriend was not supposed to talk to other dudes at the time you were dating, or deal with the real issues as to why she left?

[EagleMountainUte]

Funny how you get downvoted. I think the tampering cries are basically cucks. Utah does it as well and they will say well in this case it wasn’t tampering. It was a third party or they wanted out or blah blah blah.

Bottom line is stop acting like a cuck to TSPP.

[Charlie Foxtrot]

I just watched the Tanuvasa interview on the TSSP Sports Nation YouTube channel. The whole thing is about 10 min long, but one thing he said caught my attention. He said something along the lines of one of the reasons he decided to enter the portal and ultimately choose TSPP is because the team seems united from the head coach all the way down to the players. I have a feeling that the Utah locker room/team chemistry this past year being bad is part of why he chose to leave. Not saying that the NIL offer wasn’t the main factor, just that the drama at Utah over the past year was part of his decision.

[EagleMountainUte]

So go to a team that barely beat you? It just sounds like an opinion.

As s**tty as Utah was they still had many a game within their grasp including the United TSPP. Sugarcoating s**t but that is what it seems like Tanuvasa is doing.

At least we know at TSSP you can hide behind your beliefs when it was just about money.

[highlandute7]

This article explains it better and tbh, I’m glad he left if these are the reasons.
Tanu reasons

[RoboUte]

I honestly just don’t care.

[J]

Has anyone notice how ASU line has been unable to move the Teaxsa D-line. Our D-line has a difficult time.
Is Tanuvase transfer worth stressing about?

[SouthJordanUte]

No it’s not

[AdamDudeAmi]

His NIL deal is apparently valued at $1.5M..would have been a more respectable decision, at least in my opinion, if he just said it was a business decision and left it at that.

[Author]

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