Troy University Athletics
All Roads Lead to Family: Casey Fua’au’s Foundation for Football
9/23/2025 10:00:00 AM | Football
TROY, Ala. – For senior defensive tackle Casey Fua'au, family is everything. It's the reason he chose Troy and the foundation of the person he is today.
My biggest motivation is my family and everything they've poured into me to get to the point I am today, Fua'au said. My mom paid for a lot of things and drove me hours to go to camps outside of the city.
The Clarksville, Tenn., native has one particularly strong family tie: his cousin Matt Henry. While looking for a transfer destination, Fua'au visited Troy with Henry, who is now the Trojans' starting right guard. The pair committed together.
[Henry] pushes me to be a better player because he's one of the main players that has a big effect on our team, Fua'au said. I strive to compete with him a lot, and he just makes me better as a player.
Although Fua'au started playing football in middle school, he said he didn't take it seriously until late in high school. After a short stint with no playing time at New Mexico Military Institute, he transferred to Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, California. While playing offensive line, he started 10 of 11 games and earned Second Team All- National Northern League honors. He also discovered more about his Samoan heritage.
We had a lot of Samoans on the team, and that helped me embrace my culture and where I come from because there weren't many Samoans in Tennessee, Fua'au said. Our culture is very family-oriented, and Polynesians always treat each other like family. I feel like when I got
there, we all bonded and became like brothers.
Fua'au said those lessons about culture and unity carry over to the gridiron.
Brotherhood and camaraderie really help the team a lot, he said. Whenever you get on the field and it's you going against the people in front of you, brotherhood drives you because you're playing for something bigger than just yourself.
Despite playing primarily on the offensive line – including last season against Southern Miss as part of a special teams unit that didn't allow a blocked kick – Fua'au has transitioned to defensive tackle. He credits the Troy coaching staff for guiding him through the switch.
Coach Manning really helped me develop in the way that defensive linemen are supposed to move and react, Fua'au said. I was slow at first, and I didn't really understand much about playing defensive line. Going through everything day-to-day and having all the other players help me out and coach me up is really helping me become better at the position I'm playing now.
During his time at college, Fua'au said he's grown a lot in maturity and responsibility.
I feel like I've gotten a lot more responsible, he said. I used to be irresponsible, and I wasn't doing the things I had to do in the classroom, and I thought I might not play football again. I went on to Allan Hancock and then got the opportunity to come to Troy, and I've done a lot better with responsibility and doing the things that I need to do.
After a strong offseason, Fua'au earned a spot on the depth chart and looks to play a key role for the Trojans in 2025.
