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He's used to the gawking stares by now. At 6-foot-5, 300 pounds, 17-year-old Leki Fotu knows how unbelievable his age sounds to people. Even his own teammates don't believe him.
"During rugby season last year before our state game, they asked twice for my birth certificate," said the long-maned teenager, who is built like a refrigerator. "Everyone's always surprised. But I'm just here, like anybody else."
However, Fotu and two of his freshman teammates in camp — Bradlee Anae and Maxs Tupai — aren't your run-of-mill newcomers. Despite arriving at Utah to compete for playing time at the team's deepest position, they've created a buzz, thanks to both their size (a combined 18-and-a-half feet and 800 pounds) and their hype (combined 10-star rating).
Boasting offers from all around the country, the trio decided to come to Utah. And while they might have limited action this year behind a group of potential All-Americans, it's been tough for even coaches to contain their excitement about a potentially special class of linemen.
"I see a lot of upside," coach Kyle Whittingham said.
The three have each gotten plenty of reps on the defensive line's second unit, with Fotu at tackle and Tupai and Anae at either end spot.
The other place they spend a lot of time together: their dorm room, which they share with Utah lineman Tucker Scott. Common activities include watching TV together, ordering a small tower of pizzas for themselves, or fighting over what's playing on the stereo speaker.
"It's actually a really expensive Bose speaker that's pretty big, and it belongs to me," Anae said. "[Fotu] always tries to steal it."
And Anae isn't afraid to stand up to Fotu?
"Of course," he said. "I got him any day. But he's got big ol' legs."
But the forces that bind them are much stronger than their divisions. The three share many of the same traits that drew Utah's attention in the first place: incredible athletic gifts, soft-spoken humility and drive for the game.
Tupai, the most-heralded of the three and the last to commit, had an unconventional recruiting process by any measure. When other recruits of his stature were holding Signing Day press conferences, he was still weeks away from making his choice. Former Murray coach Mike Richmond said the recruiting trip that Tupai spoke most favorably about was the one where he and his host spent Friday night lifting weights.
But that's Tupai, Richmond said. He's the same player who, during a game against Tooele, slipped past a running back he was attempting to tackle, turned around and ran 50 yards down field to pull him down before he scored.
"People who watch his tape don't understand how many plays he made in the fourth quarter after playing in every snap of the game," Richmond said. "We didn't take him off the field, and he still played hard all the time."
A similar motor helped Fotu lead state champion Herriman with 85 tackles and 9.5 sacks as a senior only a year after skipping football in favor of rugby. And while there were jokes in the Mustangs' coaching room on how huge Fotu was for his age, coach Dustin Pearce thinks that wasn't what made him great.
"Honestly, his work ethic in practice was the most impressive thing," he said. "I never had to get [on] him about chasing down the ball or not finishing the play."
The trio now has the benefit of being under the wing of all-conference linemen, including Lowell Lotulelei and Hunter Dimick. Defensive line coach Lewis Powell said his job is easy this year — he shows the freshmen film of the upperclassmen to teach technique.
Tupai said he doesn't have any expectations for playing time this year, something both Fotu and Anae echoed. But he is excited to see where his group — and his fellow newcomers — go from here.
"Bradlee and Leki, they're funny, they're goofy," he said. "But when we're on the field, we're all ready to go."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Fab freshmen on the defensive line
Maxs Tupai, DE • National finalist for Butkus Award as a senior at Murray with 116 tackles and 23.5 sacks; four-star recruit by Scout and Rivals; two-time all-state honoree
Leki Fotu, DT • All-state honoree as a senior for state champion Murray HS; three-star recruit by Scout;
Bradlee Anae, DE • First-team all state Hawaii for state champion Kahuku HS; three-star recruit by Rivals and Scout