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BYU sophomore Raider Damuni sacks Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders during the 2024 Valero Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome in San Antonio on Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024.

Jaron Wilkey, BYU Photo

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BYU safety Raider Damuni tries to stop Oklahoma State quarterback Garret Rangel BYU sophomore running back LJ Martin runs the ball up the field during the Big 12 game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

Harold Mitchell, Special to the Herald

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BYU's Talmage Gunther, left, and Raider Damuni celebrate after a fumble recovery in a college football game against Cincinnati on Friday, September 29, 2023.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Timpview wide receiver and safety Raider Damuni poses for a portrait at Timpview High School in Provo on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020. A senior, Damuni plans to attend Brigham Young University and play football for the Cougars after graduating from high school and serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Isaac Hale, Daily Herald

Isaac Hale Daily Herald

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Some of the gridiron athletes who come to BYU have only a passing knowledge of the rich Cougar football tradition.

That, however, is not the case for BYU junior safety Raider Damuni.

He grew up in Provo and went to Timpview High School as well as being part of a multigenerational Cougar football family.

Having BYU coming off a very good season and getting a decent amount of national buzz heading into the 2025 season hearkens back to the days when the Cougars always seemed to be a player in college football — and Damuni wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I think that’s something that you dream of as a kid,” Damuni said in a teleconference last week. “This is what you want. You want all the eyes on you. We had a pretty good season last season so now everyone’s watching. They want to see what we’re going to do now. Growing up a diehard BYU fan and my dad playing here, that’s all you want. You want to have that spotlight.”

He said that pressure is something the Cougar players value, since it means they are having success.

“I think it’s been a blessing, and it’s something that we don’t take lightly as well,” Damuni said. “We understand that there’s a lot of hard work that needs to go into this offseason so that we can be the best defense and we can be the best team as a whole. With everyone’s watching, this is when you get to shine.”

On a personal level, Damuni also wants to shine in his role on this BYU squad.

In the last two season he has tallied decent numbers (47 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, one pass breakup, one forced fumble) but he has also had to fight through injuries and other tough times.

“Throughout my career, I’ve had my fair share of injuries, especially last season with my back,” Damuni said. “I think the key is just trusting the timing and trusting the coaching staff and the training staff. They’ve helped me stay positive and hopeful. It’s been really helpful in my time being here at BYU to just have people who know what they’re doing. They’re the best in the business, and so they’ve really helped me. It’s paid off a lot.”

Now Damuni is heading into his junior year and feels like he’s ready to take on an even bigger role for the Cougars.

“I definitely made it a goal this past year to be more of a vocal leader,” Damuni said. “I’m not really the most vocal guy, especially in team settings, but I feel like that’s something that I could improve on and something that I’ve been trying to work on throughout the off season.”

He said he has watched teammates who are effective in that area, guys like former BYU defensive lineman Tyler Batty, and tried to apply what he has seen into his own approach.

“I’m just trying to work to be better and be more of a vocal leader, but then also be more like a leader in the position group as well,” Damuni said. “I know that it’s been getting better.”

He’s part of a group of Cougar safeties who have experience and expect to be elite performers this fall. Damuni said the focus during spring is to get everything down to be ready when the season rolls around.

“I think the expectation for us it to know the defense in and out,” Damuni said. “We are to the point where we’ve been in the system now for a little while and so knowing just your assignment isn’t going to do it. We need to have knowledge of everyone’s assignment, knowing where we’re supposed to be, where certain gaps are supposed to fill, if some someone goes out.

“Understanding the whole defense as a whole allows us to be vocal leaders on the defensive side of the ball because at the safety position you can see the field better than most people. What he (defensive coordinator Jay Hill) is looking for in safeties is just someone who’s going to come in, give 100% effort every single time you play, but then also understand the game and understand the defense in and out.”

If Damuni and the rest of the BYU players can do that, the Cougars will have a chance to put together a really good season and perhaps add another chapter to the BYU gridiron legacy.

Cougar head coach Kalani Sitake, however, wants to make sure everything is done in the proper order and no one starts thinking it will be easy.

“I think the key is keep things real,” Sitake said. “You’re not going to be able to just fake your way through it. This time last year, we had a different feeling and we knew that, so we were very real with it. The situation now is you can’t go back and recreate what last year did for you. We’re in a different position but you have to stay humble and you have to be able to work. Honestly, we haven’t accomplished much at all. We still have a ways to go, things to do and things to accomplish.”