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Leki Fotu

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Leki Fotu
No. 92 – New York Jets
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1998-08-23) August 23, 1998 (age 26)
Oakland, California, U.S.[1]
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
Roster status:Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:89
Sacks:3.5
Forced fumbles:1
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

George "Leki" Fotu[2] (born August 23, 1998) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL).[3] He played college football at Utah and was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

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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

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After his sophomore season, Utah coaches considered moving Fotu from defensive end to offensive tackle, but Fotu instead moved to defensive tackle and claimed the starting spot at that position.[7] At the end of his junior season, Fotu was named first-team all-Pac-12 Conference.[1]

Before his senior season, Fotu was named a preseason All-American by ESPN.[8] 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

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Pre-draft measurables
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

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Fotu was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round with the 114th overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft.[13] He was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury on November 14, 2020,[14] and activated on December 5, 2020.[15] In Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Fotu recorded his first career sack on fellow rookie Jalen Hurts during the 33–26 win.[16]

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

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On March 14, 2024, Fotu signed with the New York Jets.[18] He was placed on injured reserve on August 27.[19] He was activated on October 14, but placed on injured reserve again on October 31.[20]

Personal life

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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.[21]

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Brugler, Dane (April 7, 2020). The Athletic's 2020 NFL Draft Guide (PDF). Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  3. ^ "Leki Fotu (DT): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.azcardinals.com. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  4. ^ Odegard, Kyle (May 5, 2020). "One-Time Rugby Phenom Leki Fotu Finds Football Groove". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  5. ^ Furlong, Josh (October 28, 2019). "Leki Fotu taking no prisoners as he barrels down on special defensive season". KSL-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  6. ^ "Leki Fotu". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
  7. ^ Sloan, Benjamin (October 3, 2019). "Leki Fotu's Fulfilling His Promise". The Draft Network. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  8. ^ Wood, Trent (August 20, 2019). "Utah defensive linemen Leki Fotu named to ESPN's preseason All-America team". Deseret News. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  9. ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt. "Utah's Leki Fotu is the Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
  10. ^ Allen, Trevor (October 15, 2019). "Utah Defensive Tackle Leki Fotu Named AP Midseason All-American". KSL-TV. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  11. ^ "NFL Draft Prospect Profile - Leki Fotu". nfl.com. May 1, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "Utah DT Leki Fotu : 2020 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  13. ^ Zimmerman, Kevin (April 25, 2020). "Cardinals select Utah DT Leki Fotu in 4th round of 2020 NFL Draft". Arizona Sports. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  14. ^ "J.R. Sweezy Activated From IR As Leki Fotu Placed On IR". AZCardinals.com. November 14, 2020.
  15. ^ Urban, Darren (December 5, 2020). "Cardinals Activate Leki Fotu From Injured Reserve". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  16. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals - December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Leki Fotu 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
  18. ^ Pullano, John (March 14, 2024). "DL Leki Fotu Signs with the Jets". New York Jets. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  19. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (August 27, 2024). "Final Cuts | Jets Move 37 to Get Their Roster to 53 Players". NewYorkJets.com.
  20. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (October 31, 2024). "Jets Place WR Allen Lazard, DT Leku Fotu on IR; Sign K Riley Patterson, OL Alec Lindstrom to Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  21. ^ Bodkin, Michelle (October 18, 2019). "SENIOR FEATURE: Leki Fotu, Big Man on Campus for Utes". UteZone. 247Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2019.
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