BYU football: Will Motekiai Langi ever make an impact for the Cougars?

BYU football made national headlines in 2015 when it announced the signing of Motekiai Langi. But will the mountain of a man ever make an impact?

BYU football’s mountain is finally in Provo. Motekiai Langi is with the team, and just starting to learn the game of football.

Despite all the attention that stemmed from his size, is there any chance ‘Mountain Mo’ will make an impact in Provo?

Initially it’s tough to say.

Certainly Mo Langi has the size (and then some) to be a football player. The 6-foot-7, 410-pound behemoth dwarfs anyone he stands next to.

Langi has already become a BYU football celebrity, with fans flocking to him. It’s not hard to see why. It’s not everyday you meet someone quite like Mo.

By all accounts his teammates and coaches like his attitude. Fans love his circus attraction size. Everything I’ve read indicates he’s a funny, humble and easy-going person.

The kind of person that’s extremely easy to root for. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be a great football player. Or even a good one.

Langi drew comparisons to former BYU football star – and No. 5 overall NFL Draft pick – Ziggy Ansah. Both had no football experience, both had large frames and were athletic.

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But it isn’t fair to Mo to compare him to Ziggy. There’s a reason a story like Ziggy’s is so remarkable – because it doesn’t happen often. Programs can’t just pick out guys that don’t know how to strap on pads, then turn them into quality contributors.

That’s not to say it won’t happen in Mo’s case. But BYU football fans shouldn’t be anxiously awaiting his debut. It may take years. And when it happens, it might not even be in a meaningful game.

Still, the coaching staff is excited to work with him. Jeff Call of the Deseret News spoke to Kalani Sitake about Langi.

"“He’s such a big guy and everyone is intrigued with his stature. He’s a great young man and he loves the game of football and he loves his teammates. We’ll see how it goes. It would be inappropriate for me to have any expectations of him right now without having him understand the game and get his body ready for football.”"

Sitake’s expectations should be shared by everyone else. Whatever Mo Langi may give BYU football should be considered a pleasant bonus.

Still, it’s really easy to cheer for Big Mo. Obviously everyone wishes him the absolute best – just make sure to temper expectations.