This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Who is the better blocker? Probably Siale Fakailoatonga.
Who is the better route runner? Most likely Evan Moeai.
The real argument starts when you ask the duo — and the rest of their teammates — which of the tight ends gives the better haircut.
"I'm not going to go there," Moeai said, stifling laughter. "I don't know, I'm not going to answer that one."
Utah's tight ends aren't just catching fades. They're giving them, too.
The barber shop at Utah's football facility is put to good use by Fakailoatonga and Moeai, who just happen to also be the Utes' top two tight ends. They're also both pretty nifty with clippers, dating back to their high school days — a fact they discovered when they started to room together during away games.
"We'd just be in the hotel pregame, cutting each other's hair," Fakailoatonga said. "Pretty soon, people started asking who was cutting it."
The requests started rolling in. And it seems like the two have been busy ever since.
Moeai estimates his average workload is between five to 10 haircuts per week. Wait lists get long, and the team's unofficial barbers squeeze in cuts when they can amid school, practice and sleep.
Prices for a cut vary: $5. $10 if you've got it. Lunch. A favor. Really, money is not the goal.
"I'm not too strict on it," Fakailoatonga said. "If they can't afford it, I'll cut it. I'm just trying to be a good teammate."
The biggest obstacle is time. There never seems to be enough with all the requests for a trim — Moeai jokes that fellow tight end Wallace Gonzalez seems to want one every week. While Moeai and Fakailoatonga keep up the pretense of competing in the barber shop, they give more references for each other than they can count.
If Siale's not available, go see Moeai. If Moeai's busy, Siale will make time for you. Maybe.
"I kind of stall and I tell some of my teammates, 'I'll cut your hair tomorrow,' " Fakailoatonga said. "And then tomorrow comes, and I'll tell them, 'Yeah, I'll get you tomorrow.' I just really got to focus on football. I'm not trying to spend all my time in the barber shop."
Of course, several of the Utes have their favorite stylist.
Quarterback Travis Wilson doesn't hesitate to throw a pass to either one in the field. But when he finally clipped his shoulder-length locks to donate to charity, his go-to barber was Fakailoatonga.
"He cleaned me up nice," Wilson said. "I kind of let him do his own thing. I was happy with how it turned out."
Clients sometimes want strange things. Fakailoatonga recently shaved a part of a track athlete's head and drew designs into her scalp.
Moeai's weirdest request sounds much worse.
"I'm not going to name any names, but I've had to cut people's back hair a few times, and I don't think I'm going to do that anymore," he said. "I'll let guys do their own manscaping."
But the intimate nature of cutting hair definitely has fringe benefits. A good barber isn't just deft with a pair of scissors, but also with conversation. Guys who sit in the chair talk and talk, about girls, football, class — anything. Fakailoatonga and Moeai might have some of the best relationships with their teammates outside of football.
It also helps them relate to one another. There are days when camp is intense, and they get caught up in battling each other for on-field reps. They begin the season in a dead heat on the depth chart.
It helps to have a mutual interest off the field that draws them together.
"It's been intense competition since we've gotten here, and I don't expect it to change," Moeai said. "It does sometimes kind of lighten the mood if you're pulling ahead or falling behind on the depth chart."
Everyone on the team hopes for a future in football after college. But whenever their athletic careers end, both tight ends think about setting up shop outside the facility somewhere.
"I think once I'm done with football, I think I'm going to go into being a barber," Fakailoatonga said. "I'm grateful for this, I guess, talent. I enjoy cutting hair."
The rest of the Utes, who'll be sporting crisp haircuts against Michigan, are pretty grateful, too.
Twitter: @kylegoon —
A tale of two barbers
Evan Moeai and Siale Fakailoatonga keep it sharp in the barber shop and at the tight end position:
Siale Fakailoatonga Jr.
• Graduated from Cottonwood High, where he was a 3-star Rivals prospect
• Primarily used as a blocker, with four career receptions
• Has played in 23 games, also seeing action on special teams
Evan Moeai Sr.
• Played at Mountain View High School and Snow College
• Played in 4 career games at Utah, injured for the season against Idaho State in 2014
• Expected to play an H-back role for Utes this fall