BYU’s 2026 football roster had one of those blink-and-you-miss-it surprises this week: Journee Tonga, a 5-foot-8 running back from Leuzinger High in Lawndale, California, showed up with the No. 20 beside his name and almost no warning.
That kind of late arrival is rare in the social media era, especially for a major college program. Yet Tonga surfaced on the roster posted online Wednesday and on printed copies handed out minutes before the Cougars wrapped up their first preseason training camp practice, leaving even longtime BYU reporters asking the same question: who is this guy?
A BYU football spokesperson confirmed Thursday that Tonga is a preferred walk-on, so he is not on scholarship.
Offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick made it clear why the staff is intrigued.
“He’s a high school player we really liked. He’s from Los Angeles (area) and a really good student,” Roderick said.
“Like, he’s a super student, a really sharp kid who got into school here on his own. He’s picked up the offense really fast.
I am excited to see what he can do. He was a very good high school player.”
Tonga’s high school résumé backs that up. He was named the Daily Breeze All-Area Player of the Year last December after doing just about everything for Leuzinger. He played quarterback as a sophomore, then shifted into a huge rushing role as a junior and piled up 2,267 yards and 29 touchdowns, averaging 9.3 yards per carry.
As a senior, he rushed for 1,334 yards, also spent three games back at quarterback when the starter was injured, and lined up as a slot receiver.
Over three seasons, Tonga ran for 4,030 yards and 48 touchdowns and added 791 receiving yards.
“You can never underestimate the heart of a champion,” Leuzinger coach Jason Miller told the Daily Breeze. “Whenever we have needed him or had to have it for the last two years, he came through.”
The freshman has already caught the eye of BYU’s top back. After Day 1 of camp, senior standout LJ Martin said Tonga has been picking things up quickly.
“He knows the playbook pretty well already for someone his age,” Martin said. “So I am really impressed. I think he’s going to be really good.”
Tonga, a three-star prospect whose only scholarship offer was from San Jose State, apparently committed to BYU last January, according to KSL Sports, though he was not listed among BYU’s signees in February of 2026.
He joins fellow true freshman Devaughn Eka in a running backs room that also includes Martin, sophomore Sione Moa and senior Preston Rex.
Roderick said Moa is healthy and ready to go, praised Rex’s growth after being forced into action last year, and said Eka is pushing for snaps.
“Sione Moa is full go, 100% ready. He looks great,” Roderick said, “and then I am really excited about the improvement that Preston Rex has made since last year.
He got thrown into a tough situation. He wasn’t really a running back, and he had to learn to play it on the fly and he did make some good plays for us last year in the open field.”
With a year of experience behind him, Roderick said Rex now “really looks more like a running back now,” adding, “He really knows what he’s doing out there, and then Devaughn Eka has done some great things. Devaughn Eka will get some playing time this year. He’s been impressive as well.”
One detail still unresolved: it is unclear whether Tonga is related to former BYU players Khyris Tonga and Manase Tonga.
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