Brigham Young University threw everyone for a loop yesterday when they signed a 410-pound recruit who has never played football a day in his life.
Coach Mendenhall first heard of Motekiai Langi when defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi made a trip to Polynesian countries two years ago on a recruiting trip. Deseret News reports that while Kaufusi was visiting Tonga, a nation that doesn’t play football, he watched Langi play a pickup game of basketball and thought that he could do well on the gridiron.
Mendenhall first met Langi just over a week ago, a few days before Langi was to enter the Missionary Training Center to serve as a missionary in Arizona for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After just 15 minutes of getting to know Langi, Mendenhall offered him a scholarship to come play ball for BYU upon returning from his two-year mission.
Mendenhall admits that he has never done anything like this before and had only intended on asking him to walk-on to the team after his mission. Mendenhall informed fans that Langi is a big, solid and healthy-looking man and that when they met, he thought that there was no way this Langi couldn’t be something special. Mendenhall further explains his decision saying,
Football is a game and it can be learned. I think if I’m any kind of coach at all, and our staff is, there’s got to be something we can teach that guy to do.
BYU coaches are so excited for the team’s new 6-foot-7 recruit, they even rapped about it in a YouTube video, posted above.
This isn’t the first time an athlete with no football experience has played for BYU. in 2010, Ezekial Ansah, from Ghana, walked onto the team after encouragement from friends and family. Having never played the game before, Ansah dedicated himself to learning the ins and outs of football. After spending a three seasons with BYU, Ansah was the No. 5 pick for the Detroit Lions in the 2013 NFL draft.
As part of yesterday’s National Signing Day, BYU also signed 22 other players, including six recruits from the Lonestar state.
Here is a full list of BYU’s new recruits:
- Trevor Brent: 5-foot-10 cornerback from Balch Springs, Texas
- Charles West: 5-foot-9 running back from Coppell, Texas
- Micah Simon: 6-foot receiver from Dallas, Texas
- Akile Davis: 6-1 receiver from DeSoto, Texas
- J.J. Nwigwe: 6-foot-4 offensive lineman from Heath, Texas
- Jacob Jimenez: 6-foot-6 offensive lineman from Pflugerville, Texas
- Beau Hoge: 6-foot quarterback from Fort Thomas, Kentucky
- Motekiai Langi: 6-foot-7 offensive lineman/defensive lineman from Liahona, Tonga
- Kieffer Longson: 6-foot-7 offensive lineman from San Ramon, California
- David Lui: 6-foot-3 defensive lineman from Pittsburg, California
- Tevita Mounga: 6-foot-2 defensive lineman from Murrieta, California
- Will Sedgwick: 6-foot-2 linebacker from Laguna Hills, California
- Squally Canada: 5-foot-10, running back transfer from Washington State University (will sit out for one season due to transfer rules)
- Mika Tafua: 6-foot-3 linebacker from Honolulu, Hawaii
- Eric Takenaka: 5-foot-9 defensive back transfer from Snow College
- Kody Wilstead: 6-foot-6 quarterback from Pine View, Utah
- Zayne Anderson: 6-foot-3 defensive back from Utah
- Riley Burt: 6-foot-1 running back from Box Elder, Utah
- Brady Christensen: 6-foot-6 offensive lineman from Bountiful, Utah
- Demetrius Davis: 6-foot-4 offensive lineman from Pleasant Grove, Utah
- Jeremiah Ieremia: 6-foot-2 linebacker from Hurricane, Utah
- Devin Kaufusi: 6-foot-6 defensive end from Provo, Utah
- Dayan Lake: 5-foot-11 defensive back from Layton, Utah
