Cougs Daily

California DL Kelepi Vete Commits to BYU

Vete is a three-star DL out of California

Casey Lundquist

Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the BYU Cougars helmet and logo during Big 12 football
Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the BYU Cougars helmet and logo during Big 12 football / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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On Monday night, California defensive line prospect Kelepi Vete committed to Kalani Sitake and the BYU football program. Vete, a mid three-star prospect, picked the Cougars over competing offers from Stanford, Baylor, Arizona, Arizona State, and Cal among others.

Vete preps at Oakland High School in California. He previously played for Fremont High School was the teammate of 2024 BYU signees Naki Tuakoi and Sefo Akuila. Kelepi has played both offensive line and defensive line at the high school level - he is projected to play defensive line in college.

Under new defensive coordinator Jay Hill, the BYU defensive staff has worked tirelessly to improve the talent along the defensive line. Vete is the type of defensive line prospect that BYU will need to compete in the Big 12. He is listed at 6'5 and 250 pounds and he has room to add more good weight.

It's impossible to talk about Kelepi Vete without the talking about his twin brother Siosiua Vete. Siosiua, an offensive line prospect, is currently committed to Stanford. Like his brother, he also holds competing offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Cal, and Nevada among others. BYU has offered Siosiua and will surely make their pitch to get both brothers in Provo.

The Vete twins are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but they have relatives that are which gives them a slight connection to BYU. Ultimately, it was the BYU coaching staff and the relationships with Kelepi that made the difference.

Kelepi is the fifth member of BYU's 2025 recruiting class and the second defensive commit for Jay Hill. He is joined by fellow BYU commits Tyler Payne, Blake Bryce, Cale Breslin, Kelepi Vete, and Will Walker.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.

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