Flush with talent from the time he signed on with the BYU football program from nearby Timpview High School, Raider Damuni remebers the moment well.

“I felt like I was in that flow state like they talk about,” Damuni recalled. “Everything just seemed to finally come to me in that game. I knew what was coming, and I just flowed with my assignment. I wasn’t thinking, I was just doing everything instinctively. I got a lot of reps and I was able to make plays. So yeah, I definitely remember that game and feel I’ve worked to improve on my play since.”

The Kansas game Damuni referenced was back in 2024 when the Cougars took a tough 17-13 loss to the Jayhawaks in mid-November. But for Damuni, who was a sophomore at the time, he saw his playing time increase from there to the point where he entered the 2025 season as one of the team’s two starting safeties. His play was interrupted by injury, however, and by the time he returned to the lineup, sophomore Faletau Satuala really started to come into his own as one of the defense’s premier playmakers, although Damuni is more than happy to share the limelight.

“Now that Tanner (Wall) has graduated it’s pretty much me and Faletau in there, along with Tommy Prassas,” Damuni assessed. “I feel it’s helped create a lot of great competition and we love our position group. I love all the guys in our room and I definitely feel we have one of the stronger position groups on the team. Everybody wants to play, but at the same time we all love each other.”

Courtesy BYU Photo

It’s a group that is competing and now being developed by a new safeties coach after Jay Hill left for Michigan during the offseason. For Damuni, Hill stands at the only coach he’s played for since joining the Cougar program following his two-year mission service for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to San Francisco.

“It was definitely tough when I heard Coach Hill was leaving. I mean, we all knew it might be coming, but it was still tough,” Damuni recalled. “I’m the player I am today because of Coach Hill and the techniques and not just to rely on my playmaking ability. He really taught me the game and everything else involved in being a great safety. But I’m still learning and every day it’s a grind.”

Hill’s responsibilities have now been assumed by new safeties coach DeMario Warren, who was announced as a new addition to BYU’s staff soon after Hill departed for Ann Arbor.

“It’s been good to learn from the new coaches,” Damuni said. “They have a bit of a different perspective on some things, and I think it’s great to learn from both them and keep all the great things Coach Hill taught us. Everyone is still adjusting, but so far it’s been really positive learning from (Coach Warren.)”

And Warren isn’t the only coach Damuni is taking copious notes from. Recently former BYU and Kansas City Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen was announced as a special defensive assistant, which was more than welcome news to everyone involved.

“Oh, man, it’s a big deal having Danny here,” Damuni said. “We grew up watching him here at BYU and then in the NFL. The way he knows the game is like none other. The tips he gives are things we definitely listen to and we’re all working to try and become the type of great player that he was. Him being on staff is definitely a big positive for all of us.”

As mentioned, Damuni is likely to be employed alongside Satuala as the team’s two starting safeties, as they both try and improve and work to fill the void left by the graduation of Tanner Wall.

“Tanner was such a great teammate and he was our example and the guy we always looked to,” Damuni said. “So now, as a senior, I’m trying to be that same type of player that the younger guys look to. I’m trying to do all the things I learned from Tanner, and hopefully I can be the great type of example he was to all the younger guys now. It’s a great group, and we’re definitely excited for this season.”