This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Over Kavika Luafatasaga's left brow, a patch of purple skin was rising — an unsightly souvenir from incidental helmet-to-helmet contact with an offensive lineman.
He paid it no mind.
"I love battle scars," he said. "It's all good. I'm going to take it."
More accurately, perhaps, the 20-year-old, 6-foot-4 linebacker loves battle. While Utah's four-star addition from Arizona Western is still working on his conditioning after arriving in mid-July, he's made an early impression with his hits, his length, and his ability while competing to start this fall.
In practice, he stands about five inches taller than stocky counterpart Sunia Tauteoli when the two line up side-by-side. The Utes didn't have a linebacker with Luafatasaga's size before he arrived.
"He's blessed in a lot of areas," Tauteoli said. "You see the size, the speed. He's got a lot of good attributes as a linebacker."
The Utes saw that promise when linebackers coach Justin Ena went to Arizona Western last year to scout a running back, but was quickly taken in by Luafatasaga.
He was a force for the Matadors' defense last year, leading the team in tackles (93) and adding sacks and a blocked kick for good measure.
Luafatasaga's fluidity comes from his days as a high school cornerback. He has the hips of a player in the secondary, Ena said, but has grown into a prototypical linebacker.
The Utes were eager to flip him from his Ole Miss commitment in the winter. While Luafatasaga told Tauteoli (his host) on his official visit that he wanted to come to Utah, the decision wasn't made until Signing Day itself.
"I liked Ole Miss, but it just didn't feel like the right place for me," Luafatasaga said. "I really loved the guys I met here, and how they talked to me and how they said they needed me. The Ole Miss coaches were kinda salty about it, but they understood."
The Rebels had poured a lot of investment into Luafatasaga, who was a longtime commit. But the culture at Utah has enabled him to fit in snugly, particular the "jam sessions" with other Polynesian players on the team. Luafatasaga, Tauteoli and others can often be found singing Common Kings or Bob Marley in their free time, they said.
While he was one of Utah's top-rated additions in the 2016 signing class, it wasn't that long ago that Luafatasaga had no apparent future in football.
Born in Samoa, then living in Hawaii and Seattle, Luafatasaga moved around in his youth. It may have played a role in being disinterested in school: While he played at Farrington High in Hawaii for his senior year, he dropped out before graduation.
While Luafatasaga did end up earning his G.E.D., he said he sat out "for about a year looking for a job." He didn't have many prospects, and certainly wasn't being considered to play for a football team.
That changed, he said, when he attended a football camp in Hawaii. He got the attention of someone from Arizona Western, but still ended up begging for a chance. There was little to go off of from the coaching staff's perspective, only that Luafatasaga was a mobile, 6-foot-4 athlete.
"I would email the coach and everything, and tell him 'I'm going to work hard for you,' " he said. " 'If I get an offer, I will do my best.' "
Luafatasaga delivered, adapting quickly and becoming a steady player as a freshman. As a sophomore, he turned into a tackling monster being fought over by the Utes and Ole Miss.
Utah hopes he can have a similar impact at the DI level and help replace the production of departed backers Gionni Paul and Jared Norris. The coaching staff had to sweat out some last-minute academic catch-up before Luafatasaga could officially join, but exhaled when he finally made it.
"It's always scary when you're dealing with academic guys, but he's very driven and knew what he wanted to do," Ena said. "He came a little later than most, but he's done a good job with the three or four weeks he's had to train with the guys and get better."
He's working on getting used to the elevation, and coach Kyle Whittingham said Saturday he'd like to see Luafatasaga's conditioning improve.
If he tackles it the way he has the past few years, he's hard to count out. It helps to have Tauteoli at his side — another junior college linebacker who can understand where he came from.
"We've got a great bond," Luafatasaga said. "He pushes me a lot when I'm at my breaking point. He picks me up on a tough day, and says, 'We've gotta make it.' "
Twitter: @kylegoon —
About Kavika Luafatasaga
P A four-star recruit by Scout, picked Utes over Ole Miss
• 93 tackles, two forced fumbles, INT, blocked kick as a sophomore at Arizona Western
• All-conference honors in 2015 for Matadors
• Played football and basketball at Farrington High in Hawaii