Courtesy: Appalachian Sports Information
Release: 07/31/2008
One of Appalachian’s most talented defensive players and, perhaps, the most overlooked member of a unit that features three preseason Buck Buchanan Award candidates ... another in the seemingly endless line of accomplished pass rushers at ASU ... despite having only 18 starts under his belt, has already recorded 13.5 career sacks and 16 quarterback hurries ... has claimed at least a share of the team lead in sacks in both of his collegiate seasons ... has spent the offseason rehabilitating from a severe knee injury suffered in practice just three days prior to the 2009 season finale at Montana ... is expected to be a full strength going into fall camp but could face a challenge for the starting assignment at left defensive end by fellow junior Demery Brewer.
2009: Played in 13 games with nine starts at left defensive end ... garnered second-team all-Southern Conference recognition from the league’s media ... led ASU and ranked third in the SoCon and tied for 25th nationally with 7.5 total sacks ... the 7.5 sacks accounted for a total loss of 69 yards ... marked all-around defensive contribution by tying for third on the team with 75 total tackles (tops among ASU defensive linemen), including 11 for loss (second on the team and sixth in SoCon) ... recorded seven quarterback hurries ... got off to a relatively slow start with just 24 tackles through five games (including 1.5 sacks and 2.5 TFL) ... had a breakout performance in the season’s sixth game, with a team-high-tying nine tackles in a come-from-behind win at Wofford ... after three more average performances (10 tackles, one sack combined in wins over Georgia Southern, Furman and Chattanooga), exploded to emerge as one of ASU’s top defenders down the stretch ... recorded 32 of his 75 tackles (42.7 percent) and five of his 7.5 sacks (66.7 percent) over his final four games of the season ... opened torrid stretch with one-and-a-half sacks to help ASU clinch SoCon title with 27-10 win at Elon ... turned in a career performance in regular-season finale versus archrival Western Carolina with a team-high 13 tackles, including 2.5 sacks for 25 yards, and two quarterback hurries ... 2.5 sacks matched a career high set the previous year when he also had 2.5 sacks in a win over WCU ... 13 tackles shattered his previous career best of nine set earlier in the season versus Wofford ... stuffed the stat sheet with six tackles, including two for loss and a 19-yard sack, as well as a forced fumble, quarterback hurry and pass break-up in opening-round NCAA Division I Football Championship win over South Carolina State ... recorded nine tackles, including one for loss, and a QB hurry in 35-31 victory at Richmond in the national quarterfinals ... did not play in national semifinals at Montana after suffering a severe injury to his left knee during a non-contact punt-return drill during practice just three days prior to the game (Wednesday, Dec. 9).
2008: One of only two true freshman starters for the Mountaineers a season ago (DB Ed Gainey being the other) .... started nine of the season’s final 11 games at left end ... tied right end Jabari Fletcher for the team lead with six sacks ... led ASU with nine quarterback hurries ... tallied multiple tackles in 12-of-14 games ... before he even made his way into the starting lineup, he forced a fumble with a viscious sack against Jacksonville ... set the tone for the rest of the season in his first start versus Presbyterian, racking up five tackles, including one-and-a-half for loss and a sack ... hurried The Citadel quarterback Bart Blanchard four times and added seven tackles in victory over the 12th-ranked Bulldogs ... suffered a bit of a midseason slump but broke out of it in a big way with eight tackles and a quarterback hurry in ASU’s SoCon-title-clinching win over No. 11 Elon ... continued the hot streak the following week with two-and-a-half sacks in the regular-season finale at Western Carolina ... finished the season with 52 tackles, including seven behind the line of scrimmage and the SoCon-best sacks total. High School: A two-time all-state defensive lineman ... also earned all-conference and all-county accolades as a prep ... Shrine Bowl participant ... amassed 237 tackles and 25 sacks over final two prep seasons, including 123 stops, 10 sacks, five blocked kicks, three fumble recoveries and an interception as a senior ... coached by Chris Norman.
Personal: Full name is Lanston Nkenglerac Tanyi ... born Oct. 2, 1990 (turns 20 during season) ... son of Stephanie and Joseph Tanyi ... is the second-youngest of five children in his family ... majoring in communications - electronic media/broadcasting.
Courtesy: ASU Athletics
