Liona Lefau

Kansas State

Oct 31 (Sat)

12 p.m.

Position:
Linebacker
Height:
6-1
Weight:
230
Class:
Fourth
Hometown:
Kahuka, Hawai'i
High School:
Kahuku
Prev School:
Texas

AT COLORADO

2026 (Fourth-Year): Has played in all six games, with four starts. Has 44 tackles (19 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, a half-sack, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup; has 183 tackles in 48 games in his college career. Preseason: Butkus Award watch list; Polynesian Player of the Year watch list; Shriners Children’s 1000 watch list; fourth-team All-Big 12 (Athlon).

Game by Game:

at Georgia Tech (Sept. 3, W 14-13) (start): 7 tackles (2 solo). Colorado debut and first start as a Buff.
vs. Weber State (Sept. 12, W 52-21): 3 tackles (1 solo).
at Northwestern (Sept. 19, L 7-41): 6 tackles (2 solo).
at Baylor (Sept. 26, L 13-23) (start): 9 tackles (6 solo), 1.5 TFL. First TFLs as a Buff.
vs. Texas Tech (Oct. 3, L 7-29) (start): 6 tackles (4 solo), 1 PBU.
vs. Utah (Oct. 17, L 24-27) (start): 13 tackles (4 solo), 1 TFL, 0.5 sack, 1 QBH. College career high in tackles, two more than his previous best at Texas; first sack as a Buff; started in place of RJ Johnson in a three-linebacker look.

AS A TRANSFER

Rated a four-star transfer prospect by 247Sports, which listed him as the No. 126 player in the portal and the No. 7 linebacker as of Jan. 16, 2026. Enters Colorado as an undergraduate transfer in his final season of eligibility.

AT TEXAS (2023-25)

Played in 42 games over three seasons with 22 starts and finished with 139 tackles (68 solo), eight tackles for loss, three sacks, six pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

2025 (Third-Year): Started all 12 regular-season games and had 69 tackles (27 solo), three tackles for loss, a sack, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery, which he returned 53 yards for his first career touchdown against Arkansas. Had a career-high 11 tackles in the regular-season finale against Texas A&M.

2024 (Second-Year): Played in all 16 games with 10 starts, recording a tackle in every game, and had 63 tackles (38 solo), five tackles for loss, two sacks, three pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a safety. Made his first career interception at Vanderbilt and had a season-high eight tackles in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal against Arizona State.

2023 (First-Year): Played in all 14 games as a true freshman, primarily on special teams, and was on the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (spring 2023).

RECRUIT RANKINGS

A four-star prospect by most services and the No. 2 player from Hawai’i on every one. ESPN listed him as the No. 30 linebacker; 247Sports rated him a 90 and the No. 32 linebacker; On3 rated him an 88 and the No. 68 linebacker. The 247Sports Composite had him No. 405 nationally and the No. 32 linebacker, and the Rivals Industry Ranking listed him No. 426 nationally and the No. 40 linebacker.

AT KAHUKU HIGH SCHOOL

Played his final two seasons at Kahuku for head coach Sterling Carvalho, winning Division I Open state championships in 2021 and 2022, and was the 2022 MaxPreps Hawai’i Player of the Year, the Marcus Mariota Award winner and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s all-state defensive player of the year and a first-team all-state and first-team OIA selection; played in the 2023 Polynesian Bowl. As a senior, had 50 tackles on a defense that allowed 10.0 points per game with three shutouts, including nine tackles in a semifinal win over Campbell and a shutout of Punahou in the title game, as Kahuku went 12-2 with its only losses to national powers St. John Bosco (Calif.) and St. Frances Academy (Md.). As a junior, had three interceptions and caught 13 passes for 225 yards and six touchdowns for a 10-0 team whose defense allowed 9.8 points per game, and in the title game against Saint Louis returned a blocked punt 19 yards for a touchdown, intercepted a pass, made five tackles and caught two passes for 36 yards. Played at Sammamish High School in Bellevue, Wash., as a sophomore in 2020 after Hawai’i canceled its season, catching 10 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns with an 89-yard long, and played in California as a freshman. Also ran the 100 meters and 4x100 relay.