USC Athletics

2022: Katoa, coming back from a lingering injury, will compete for playing time at inside linebacker as a redshirt senior in 2022.

2021:  Katoa, who did not play football the previous 4 seasons due to injury and a Mormon mission, did not see action as a redshirt junior inside linebacker in 2021.  He was limited in 2021 spring practice while recovering from a knee injury.

2020:  Katoa, who returned to USC in the fall of 2020 after serving a 2-year Mormon mission, did not see action as a sophomore inside linebacker while recovering from a lingering knee injury.

2018-19:  Katoa spent 2018 and 2019 on a Mormon mission in Virginia.  He was the first Trojan footballer to serve on a Mormon mission since Faaesea Mailo did so in 1997-98 in Japan.

2017:  Katoa, who enrolled at USC in the spring of 2017 after graduating a semester early from high school, was set to battle for playing time at inside linebacker as a first-year freshman in 2017, but he missed the 2017 season after suffering a torn ligament in his right knee during 2017 spring practice. He participated in non-contact drills in 2018 spring practice.

HIGH SCHOOL:  He made 2016 Tacoma News Tribune Western 100, Prep Star All-West Region, USA Today All-Utah second team and Coaches All-State Class 5A second team as a senior linebacker, defensive end and quarterback at Layton (Utah) High.  In 2016, he had 36 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery for a TD on defense, while on offense he ran for 784 yards on 117 carries (6.7 avg) with 14 TDs and threw for 299 yards with 3 TDs and 3 interceptions on 21-of-55 passing (38.2%). 

As a junior in 2015, he had 11 tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery on defense, plus he completed 59-of-102 passes (57.8%) for 784 yards with 6 TDs and 2 interceptions and ran for 334 yards on 83 attempts (4.0 avg) with 7 TDs on offense. 

As a 2014 sophomore, he had 40 tackles with 5 sacks, completed 26-of-65 passes (40.0%) for 311 yards with 5 TDs and 5 interceptions and ran for 54 yards on 63 carries (0.9 avg) with 3 TDs. 

PERSONAL:  He is a real estate development major at USC.  His father, Fotu, was a tight end at BYU (1985, 1988-90), his mother, Elizabeth, was a distance runner at BYU in 1990, his sister, Eliza, was an outside hitter on Utah’s volleyball team (2014-16) and also played on the Utes’ beach volleyball team in 2017, his brother-in-law, Rhett Nelson, pitched at Santa Clara (2010) and BYU (2014) and his uncle, Fred Katoa, was a nose guard at BYU (1989-90).