NFL DraftProspect Interviews

NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: Anthony Fotu, DT, University of West Georgia

Anthony Fotu is a big boy with a mean streak. The Tongan sensation was a brute force in the middle of the field for UWG.

• Name: Anthony Fotu

• Height: 6040

• Weight: 305

• Position: Defensive Tackle

• College: University of West Georgia

• Twitter: @Fotu55chilln

Tell us about your hometown, and what you love most about it?

• I was originally born in the island of Tonga. Came to the states as a baby. And I was raised in Oakland California my whole life. What I love about Oakland is the diversity we have in the Bay Area and the history we have in Oakland.

List these three in order of importance and why: Film Study, Strength and Conditioning and Practice?

• 1.Practice 2. film study, 3. strength and conditioning. I feel like practice is the most important part out of all of this. With out practice you cannot watch film on yourself and the other opponent. All three are crucial part of football but practice and film Comes first.

What do you worry about, and why?

• I’m worry about my Mother and my siblings the most. Growing up was tough for us especially getting raised by a single parent and five kids was a lot for my mom. After losing my father and my baby sister as a young child, brought all of us closer & made me and my brothers grow into young men’s at a young age. I’m very close to all my siblings & especially mom. I think about them everyday. 

Give me an example of when you failed at something. How did you react and how did you overcome failure?

• The year of 2016 was an eye opening for me, but before that I had everything lined up for me coming out of JUCO Laney College. I was a top recruiter in the nation in 2015 had almost every schools offered coming out but it came down to Washington, Arizona, and Illinois. Went to Arizona and I got into trouble causing me to leave in the spring of 2016. After playing one season there. After getting dismissed from the team that year, I sat out of football for two years and for those two years I was working back home and was just hurt that I couldn’t play football during the time, so I didn’t watch football for two whole years. Besides watching my little brother at Utah play. And my coach from JUCO coach Beam, gave me a call one day while I was at work and was like “there’s a school in Georgia that wants to get ahold of you” and to me I was like what? It’s been two years and I haven’t heard any schools. So Coach Beam gave him my number and coach got a hold of me last summer. They flew me down to Georgia and I took my visit the same day of my visit I signed with them right away and gave the head Coach of University of West Georgia my word that I will be coming back. And this past season I came down in the summer and busted my ass and got to work right away. That was the best feeling in the world getting back to football and just being out there was running around. That’s when I noticed that I cannot take anything for granted from here and out. And I’m still overcoming that failure. God is good at all times.

What do your teammates say is your best quality?

• I think all my teammates will say that I’m very outgoing, quiet, funny, and very mellow. I get along with everyone in the locker room doesn’t matter who you are and definitely could be clown when it comes to roasting. I would say I’m a peoples person and I always have a positive vibes around everyone. 

Who is the best player you have ever played against in college?

• The best player I ever played against in college, was Christian McCaffrey for sure. 

What would your career be if you couldn’t play football? 

• If I wasn’t playing football right now, I would definitely start my firefighter career. Definitely take my EMT classes so I can’t get my EMT card, and then straight to the fire academy. 

Room, desk and car – which do you clean first?

• Room, desk and car. Which one would I clean first, it will be my room for sure. Gotta start off with the room first because if you’re room is dirty then everything else around you would be dirty. Well to me that’s how I start off my day by cleaning my room and making my bed first. Then rest will come in place. 

If there was a disaster and you could either save three strangers or one family member, which would you choose and why?

• I would save a family member. Because that’s my own blood and I could not imagine losing another family member.

If you could be any television or movie character, who would you be and why?

• Off tops Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ahah Will Smith as a character as well. He made acting look fun, just by watching Fresh Prince, everyone loved how energetic he was and how he cares about making others laugh. 

Tell me about your biggest adversity in life and how you’ve dealt with or overcome it?

• My biggest adversity I faced in life was losing my scholarship. I let myself down, my family & siblings, but most importantly I let my mom down. Seeing her in tears was the most awful thing I’ve ever done to her. And it broke me down mentally, I was just so upset at myself, I stopped going to school for two years and was just lost at one point. Wasn’t sure if I was going to play football again. But yet again, football was always around me because I had little brothers that played at Universities and an older brother who was GA coach at the University of Illinois. My older brother Joe who has taught me a lot and actually the one who introduce me to football . He kept asking me if wanted to play football still and I was like of course I do, but I don’t know if any schools would want me. Next thing you know my mom was asking me what am I going to do next? at the time I had no idea what I was going to do next. Then that’s when West Georgia came in the picture and made a full offer, ever since then I took the opportunity and ran with it. Just thinking about it was is crazy, a kid who sat out for two years and came in did no training or workout before coming in last summer and got straight to it. I’m just happy and thankful I got an opportunity to play football all over again. 

What is your most embarrassing moment?

• Never had an embarrassing moment. 

What was the most memorable play of your collegiate career?

• The most memorable play of my collegiate career was when I got the Interception against Oregon State at home in Arizona to finish the game. And that was my last game ever as a Wildcat. 

What song best describes your work ethic?

• Roddy Rich “Down Below”

What is the most important trait you can have (Physical or Non-Physical) to help you succeed at the next level? 

• The most important trait you can have is mental toughness to help you succeed at the next level.

If you could bring one person back from the dead for one day, who would it be and why?

• If I could bring one person from the dead for one day, it would be my DAD for sure. 

If you were to open a dance club, what would you name it? 

• Club 42. Because that’s my football number

Who is the most underrated player in the NFL? 

• Most overrated player in the NFL is Odell Beckham

Would you rather be liked or respected, and why?

•  I prefer to be well respected.

What player who had his career derailed by off-field issues do you feel for the most and why?

• Colin Kaepernick, because he stands for what he believes for and other people misunderstood what he was trying to say.

Do you love to win, or hate to lose?

• I hate to lose PERIOD.

Who has been the biggest influence on your life and explain why?

•The biggest influence in my life are my Mom & my older brother Joe. Because my mom& my brother always been there from good to bad, no matter what she always been there for me when ever I needed her there.  And for my brother no matter what the issue is he is going to ride for me until the end. 

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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