Motekiai Langi is a Mormon missionary who is serving his two mission years in Phoenix, Arizona. But when he returns, he will be among the nearly 70 Tongans who have played football for BR-39 BYU.
There are no local football teams or leagues in Langi’s hometown of Liahona, Tonga. He grew up with little American football experience, only being introduced to the game at some camps held in Tonga, but his rugby background should make things easier for him at least from a physical standpoint. Not that this guy needs any more of that, though. Standing tall at 6-foot-7 and weighing in at 415 pounds, Langi is sure to find some kind of role (fullback, short yardage ball carrier, nose tackle) next year for the Cougars.
Langi has never played a down in a live football game. Recruiters actually first saw Langi’s athleticism on display in a pickup basketball game, and his size and ability to change direction was enough for the Cougars to reach out to the young man. Mendenhall offered him a scholarship within fifteen minutes of meeting him, and Langi gladly accepted.
Langi won’t be on the field for a while, though. He is going to complete his two-year mission in Phoenix before enrolling as a student-athlete. Just more time to get bigger and stronger, I suppose.
This is Langi’s only high school highlight. You can see how much bigger he is than his peers, and also how he could be a pretty good football player, obviously after a lot of coaching.
