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Utah Utes defensive tackle Aliki Vimahi (95) blocks the pass by Southern Utah Thunderbirds quarterback Jackson Berry (3) against SUU in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024. Utah won 49-0. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News
At Utah, the defensive line has often been the strength of Morgan Scalley’s defense, frequently producing NFL draft picks and then reloading. Rarely has the defensive line — the defensive tackle position, specifically — been of this much interest during spring camp, but after Utah lost two starters and a rotation piece at the position this offseason, all eyes have been on how group will step up.
In Junior Tafuna, who had 31 tackles, an interception and three pass breakups last season, Utah is losing not one of its most consistent players — Tafuna made an all-conference team in each of his four seasons — but one of the heartbeats of the defense.
Then, the Utes lost third-year player Keanu Tanuvasa — who earned a place on the All-Big 12 honorable mention team after tallying 17 tackles, a sack and four pass breakups in seven games — to BYU.
Simote Pepa, another four-year player who had 10 tackles and two tackles for loss in nine games, transferred to Washington.
That’s a lot of experience for the Utes to replace, and it’s the primary concern for defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley during spring camp.
“Solidifying the defensive line. I love the defensive end depth. Defensive tackle, obviously that’s where we’ve lost some guys, but I am excited about the guys that we do have,” Scalley said.
Headlining the group is Aliki Vimahi, a 6-foot-4, 296-pound senior that has been in the program since 2020 and has 13 starts under his belt, including two last season. Vimahi’s season was shortened due to injury — he played in just four games with seven tackles, two tackles for loss and two pass breakups — but he set a career high with five tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss against Iowa State.
“Dallas (Vakalahi) is really explosive, so is Jonah (Lea’ea). Very active, very athletic. They can do a lot of good things, so they got to continue to develop in those areas and start taking more of a leadership role, which Jonah has done a good job at and is really stepping up doing that,” Elliss said.
Now, the Utes need him to take that next step in his career and be a leader in a room that is fairly young. So far, Vimahi is living up to that task.
“We’ll start with our leader, Aliki Vimahi. He needs to be the guy both on and off the field and what I mean by off field is that leadership quality,” defensive tackles coach Luther Elliss said. “He needs to continue to lead the young guys, and he’s been doing that well so far through winter and everything that we’ve been doing, and so very proud of him”
Vimahi should be entrenched in one of the starting roles, and though the other is up for grabs, it will likely go to Vakalahi, who impressed coaches so much in his true freshman season that he started three games on the injury-plagued defensive line in 2024.
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Utah Utes’ Dallas Vakalahi (98) engages with TCU's Coltin Deery during a game at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. | Brice Tucker, Deseret News
Vakalahi, who played nine games last season, finished the year with 16 tackles and two sacks. After returning from his Latter-day Saints mission ahead of last season, it took a minute for Vakalahi to get back into the football groove.
“I think last year I was learning the game again. I was on the two-year mission, but as I was able to play a little bit last year and as well as play during spring ball, I’ve seen myself not only get stronger within my physicality, but as well stronger mentally within the playbook and the scheme,” Vakalahi said.
The turning point for Vakalahi last season, he said, came against Iowa State at the end of the season.
“That was a game where I really put things together and was starting to learn how I could use my body to be able to play the defensive position,” Vakalahi said.
Behind Vimahi and Vakalahi is a trio of younger players — redshirt sophomore Jonah Lea’ea and freshmen Karson Kaufusi and Sione Motuapuaka — that will be called upon to be part of the rotation in 2025.
Lea’ea began his Utah career in 2023 at the defensive end position, but moved over to defensive tackle after gaining some weight. Last season, he played in six games, notching two tackles, and needs to be able to take a big step forward this season as a key part of the rotation.
“He’s so quick and so fast. That’s a huge matchup problem I believe for interior guys, just because of the way the offenses are these days and things,” Elliss said. “You don’t see true double teams anymore, those type of things. So that actually benefits and helps him in his play.”
Motuapuaka, a three-star from Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, and Kaufusi, a three-star from Skyline High, are getting their first taste of college football this spring. Kaufausi especially is impressing both his coaches and teammates through three weeks of spring ball.
“The freshman that gets me really excited is Karson Kaufusi. That guy’s got a special future,” Scalley said.
“I think the one that’s doing the most amazing is probably Karson Kaufusi. He’s playing really physical and he knows how to use his body. As he continues on, I think he can become one of the greats,” Vakalahi said, noting that Motuapuaka is also showing a lot of physicality.
While Vimahi and Vakalahi look ready to step up and become full-time starters, developing the depth behind them will be a key focus of spring for Scalley and Elliss, and the group could still add another contributor in the post-spring ball transfer window.
“From practice to practice you may lose a guy to injury, so you’re never satisfied. You’re always looking to continue to develop,” Scalley said. “In terms of the numbers, we’re probably down one scholarship-wise at the defensive tackle spots, so probably looking for a portal to fill that need.
“But other than that, like I said, the guys that we have, I feel like we recruited the right guys — now it’s developing them and not giving them too much to think about.”
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Utah defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley coaches up the defense during fall camp at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. | Utah Athletics
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