Leki Fotu
No. 92 – New York Jets | |||||||||||
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Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Oakland, California, U.S.[1] | August 23, 1998||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 335 lb (152 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Herriman (UT) | ||||||||||
College: | Utah (2016–2019) | ||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2020 / Round: 4 / Pick: 114 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
George "Leki" Fotu
Early years
Fotu played high school rugby[4] and high school football at Herriman High School, playing defensive end and sporadic tight end. His team won the Utah 5A state championship his senior season.[5] Fotu committed to Utah on September 20, 2015, choosing the Utes over USC, Brigham Young and Oklahoma State.[6]
College career
After his sophomore season, Utah coaches considered moving Fotu from
Before his senior season, Fotu was named a preseason
During the season, after a game against Cal, Fotu was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after recording a 13-yard sack.[9] He was named second-team midseason All-American by the Associated Press.[10]Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Bench press | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 5+3⁄8 in (1.97 m) |
330 lb (150 kg) |
34+1⁄4 in (0.87 m) |
10+5⁄8 in (0.27 m) |
5.15 s | 1.80 s | 3.00 s | 21 reps | |||||
All values from NFL Combine[11][12] |
Arizona Cardinals
Fotu was drafted by the
Fotu entered the 2021 season as the backup nose tackle for the Cardinals. He played in 17 games with three starts, recording 19 tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble.[17]
New York Jets
On March 14, 2024, Fotu signed with the New York Jets.[18]
Personal life
Three of Fotu's brothers have also played college football.[1] Before focusing on football, Fotu also played rugby.[1] Both of Fotu's parents were born in Tonga, but moved to America before Leki was born.[19]
References
- ^ a b c d Monson, Gordon (August 17, 2019). "Gordon Monson: Utah's all-everything defensive tackle Leki Fotu is a menacing man with a tender prayer in his heart". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "Leki Fotu (DT): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.azcardinals.com. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
- ^ Odegard, Kyle (May 5, 2020). "One-Time Rugby Phenom Leki Fotu Finds Football Groove". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ Furlong, Josh (October 28, 2019). "Leki Fotu taking no prisoners as he barrels down on special defensive season". KSL-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "Leki Fotu". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
- ^ Sloan, Benjamin (October 3, 2019). "Leki Fotu's Fulfilling His Promise". The Draft Network. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ Wood, Trent (August 20, 2019). "Utah defensive linemen Leki Fotu named to ESPN's preseason All-America team". Deseret News. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt. "Utah's Leki Fotu is the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ Allen, Trevor (October 15, 2019). "Utah Defensive Tackle Leki Fotu Named AP Midseason All-American". KSL-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Profile - Leki Fotu". nfl.com. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Utah DT Leki Fotu : 2020 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Zimmerman, Kevin (April 25, 2020). "Cardinals select Utah DT Leki Fotu in 4th round of 2020 NFL Draft". Arizona Sports. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
- ^ "J.R. Sweezy Activated From IR As Leki Fotu Placed On IR". AZCardinals.com. November 14, 2020.
- ^ Urban, Darren (December 5, 2020). "Cardinals Activate Leki Fotu From Injured Reserve". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
- ^ "Leki Fotu 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ "DL Leki Fotu Signs with the Jets". NewYorkJets.com. March 14, 2024.
- ^ Bodkin, Michelle (October 18, 2019). "SENIOR FEATURE: Leki Fotu, Big Man on Campus for Utes". UteZone. 247Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2019.