Cougs Daily

New BYU Running Back Kingston Keanaaina Discusses Commitment

Keanaaina committed to BYU after taking an unofficial visit

Casey Lundquist

Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the BYU Cougars helmet and logo during Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium.
Jul 12, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; A view of the BYU Cougars helmet and logo during Big 12 football media day at AT&T Stadium. / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
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On Monday evening, Bay Area running back Kingston Keanaaina committed to BYU. Keanaaina committed to the Cougars over competing offers from Arizona, San Diego State, Washington State, UAB, San Jose State, Army, and Air Force. We caught up with Keanaaina to discuss his decision to shut down his recruitment and commit to the Cougars.

Keanaaina first got in touch with BYU back in December, and he picked up a scholarship offer that same month. "I first got in touch with BYU after my junior season, so around early December<" Keanaaina said. "I met with Coach Unga first when he came down to my high school and after a great conversation, he offered which was truly a blessing."

Keanaaina has remained close with Coach Unga throughout his recruitment, and he's developed a good relationship with Kalani Sitake. "I feel like I’m closest with both Coach Kalani Sitake and Coach Unga because they have both been able to create a real bond with my family and I."

Kingston committed to BYU after taking an unofficial visit last weekend. On why he decided to commit to BYU over the other schools recruiting him, Kingston said, "I’ve had the opportunity to visit multiple colleges this past summer but after a lot of prayer, it just kept circling back to BYU. Right when I stepped on the campus of BYU for the first time this past weekend I knew I was home."

Keanaaina plans to be back at BYU during the season for a few games and for an official visit before signing day. As of this writing, he plans to enroll in 2027 after serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

On what BYU liked about his game, Keanaaina said, "BYU likes how I am a physical runner but also how I can make a defender miss."

His combination of elusiveness and power shows up on tape. List at 6'0 and 190 pounds, Keanaaina racked up nearly 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior at St. Francis High School. Keanaaina is a master at escaping in small spaces, and he combines that ability with high-level vision to hit the right hole and create chunk-yardage plays. He is also a rugby player, which shows up in his physical running style. " I grew up playing rugby my whole life for the San Mateo Wolverines and that’s truly where it all began," Keanaaina said. In the opinion of this author, Keanaaina is similar in a lot of ways to his future position coach, former BYU star running back Harvey Unga. You can check out his junior highlights below.

Kingston is the 16th commit in BYU's 2025 class and the second running back to commit to Harvey Unga in this cycle, joining Las Vegas native Cale Breslin.

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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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