Tialavea, a former BYU defensive lineman (05-09, 12), moved into the director of football operations position on January 25, 2016, after serving as the assistant director for the 2015 season.

Tialavea played in 47 games, including 31 starts, as a significant contributor each season on the field for the Cougars. He totaled 74 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, five fumble recoveries, five pass breakups and six blocked kicks.

Tialavea worked as an academic specialist in the BYU Student Athlete Academic Center in 2014, where he served as an academic liaison with the football program. Before working in the SAAC at BYU, Tialavea served as a human resource specialist and paraprofessional academic representative at Heritage Schools in Provo and worked as a student affairs intern with BYU Multicultural Student Services and as a student services intern with BYUSA.

An Oceanside, California native, Tialavea graduated from BYU in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. He was named the BYU Service Athlete of the Year following his senior season in 2012.

As the director of operations, Tialavea’s responsibilities include managing day-to-day operations, student-athlete academic and career development, alumni relations and additional team programs. He is married to Jessa Jeppesen.