The most intriguing news out of signing day—at least for those who find tracking every tiny movement a bit weird—was that a 6'7", 410 pound manchild signed a letter of intent to play football at BYU. The problem was, nobody knew jack shit about Motekiai Langi. No grainy highlight reel, no photos of him in a football uniform, no profile on a recruiting website. Nothing.
But there was a good reason for that: apparently his own future head coach has only spent 15 minutes with him, and he was recruited because a BYU assistant coach thought he was light on his feet during a game of pickup basketball two years ago.
Seriously.
"It is not a fat 410, it is a solid ... lean isn't the right word ... it is a solid-looking, healthy ... giant man."
I am skeptical that Langi will be an effective player, but either way we won't see him on the football field for awhile. Like many young Mormon men of his age, he's heading off on a two year mission before enrolling at BYU.
To get a good sense for how damn big he is, here is a photo his cousin Harvey Langi—a sophomore linebacker at BYU—posted on Instagram. Harvey Langi is 6'2", 240 pounds. If he were your friend he'd be the biggest guy in your crew, but next to his younger cousin he looks almost normal sized.
Photo via BYU