As an objective member of The Daily Utah Chronicle who’s dedicated to the ethics of professional journalism, I’m not allowed to have a favorite U football player. But if you, the most rabid, unrelenting, jump-during-third-down fans are looking for someone to admire, or possibly one day own the replica jersey of, I’d highly recommend Nai Fotu.
What? You say you’ve never heard of him? You’re saying if you heard that name in a conversation you’d be scratching your head wondering if Nai Fotu was his first or last name?
If Utah was a more prominent football program, you’d hear ESPN’s Stuart Scott spew phrases like “Nai Fotu. Dude can hit,” every Saturday night.
Fotu is a guy that is going to get talked about as an NFL player in years to come. Yes, I said years to come, only because the guy is still a sophomore.
If Dr. Evil ever wants sharks with freakin’ laser beams on their heads again, he should make sure to get No. 2 to clone Fotu’s aggressiveness and throw in his ball-hawking skills in order to get the best attack sharks money can buy. In case Fotu’s seven-lettered name doesn’t exactly roll off your tongue like Nabisco, maybe some of his most memorable highlights to date will jog your memory.
For starters, Utah’s No. 42 became a starting linebacker as a true freshman last season after injuries to Utah’s experienced linebacking corps gave him, along with fellow linebacker Stevenson Sylvester, some on-the-job training. He’s also the guy you’ll see leveling San Diego State running back Atiyyah Henderson when you enter the keystrokes “Nai Fotu Hit” in the YouTube search bar. The hit is like France’s Zinedine Zidane leveling Italy’s Marco Materazzi with a headbutt to the sternum in the 2006 World Cup, except on acid. Fotu couldn’t have folded paper faster.
He’s also one of a handful of underclassmen that help make Utah’s 2008 defense what head coach Kyle Whittingham referred to as “possibly the fastest I’ve ever coached.”
The Laie, Hawaii, native’s name was plastered all over national TV last weekend because the 6-foot-1, 235-pound stud linebacker seemed to be in on every single Utah tackle. He finished the game with seven, including 2.5 that went for lost yardage.
But if for some weird reason Fotu doesn’t ring your bell or blow all your whistles, there are plenty of other Utah defenders that will be around for years to come that should fit the your-favorite-Utah-player bill.
Of Utah’s 11 starters on defense, defensive back Bryce McCain is the only one scheduled to leave at the end of this season. Three, including Fotu, Paul Kruger and Lei Talamaivao, have two more years left. That’s a defense that Whittingham is already tabbing his fastest, and might one day concede as his best before the 2009 season is over. Here, now and after just one game, this defense looks like a fun group of guys to watch. After the Utes completed the so-called “upset” in Michigan, I got the sense that these guys were enjoying every second of tenderizing that week’s offensive opponent on the field as well.
“It feels great,” Fotu said. “I can’t describe how I feel. It’s the Big House, my first time here. I experienced this big win, so I just feel really great right now. I just have great teammates.”
While Fotu might be whom I keep my eyes on in search of the next amazing Utah hit in the backfield, you can’t go wrong following No. 11, No. 41 or No. 10 around either. Paul Kruger, Koa Misi and Stevenson Sylvester all did like Fotu against Michigan, which is catch guys out of the backfield and stop them short of making a dash for Utah’s secondary. These are all big boys that have the speed to catch tailbacks and wide receivers from a Big 10 school like Michigan. In fact, Utah’s defense has enough play makers that you’d be hard-pressed to go wrong watching any of these guys. U corner Shawn Smith’s about the funniest guy you’ll ever see after a football game, and you’ll get a sense of why during the game when he’s busy shutting down anyone and anything that comes his way.
Robert Johnson, the guy who made a name for himself after causing UCLA’s Marcus Everett to fumble into the Bruin’s own endzone on what looked like a gimme touchdown last season, is also a fun person to watch. His length makes him a threat to intercept any pass, and his ball instincts only make him more dangerous. Even Utah’s defensive line, which was supposed to be the most suspect part of the Utes’ defense, showed great ability to penetrate a bigger and stronger Michigan offensive line.
No matter whom you decide to keep your eye on, or your fingers crossed for, his jersey number is to be displayed on the 2009 purchase-ready replica. Utah’s defense is what is going to make this team elite. Take nothing away from what the offense can do, but for once in my life, I’ll be just as excited when the Utes don’t have the ball this fall8212;if I were allowed to be a fan, that is.
Tony Pizza