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The University of Utah Athletics
The Footsteps of Lo Falemaka
10/5/2017 3:49 PM | Football
By Riley Elliott
Utah Athletics Communications
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Lo Falemaka's football beginnings were very different from most players who make it to the college level.
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Blessed with the natural ability to eventually become the starting center for a Pac-12 program like Utah, you would think that Falemaka was probably the type of kid who couldn't wait to get on the football field. However, Falemaka had other interests and was forced to play football by his mother.
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"I started playing when I was eight or nine years old," Falemaka explained. "My mom kind of forced me to play and kicked me out of the house because I was playing video games all day. I would also sleep in really late and eat all of the food at the house. I was just lazy, so she signed me up for football."
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However, once Falemaka got his first taste of football, he grew to love the sport and it became a major part of his life. Falemaka attended Cottonwood High School, just 15 minutes south of the U. campus, and lettered three straight years for the Colts while helping them win the 2010 Region 2 Championship. During his early high school years, attending college wasn't something that Falemaka was considering.
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"It was fun playing at Cottonwood, just because everybody there had the same mind set. Everybody wanted to be a better person, go to college, and play college football, too. Obviously, the help of my friends kept me on the right path to where I am now," said Falemaka.
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"College wasn't in the plans at first," he continued. "In high school, I wasn't even thinking about going to college until I got offered [a scholarship] my junior year. After that, I realized that I needed to start taking things more seriously. I started going to the weight room more, worked on my footwork, and improved in the classroom too."
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Following his time at Cottonwood, Falemaka elected to pass on some other scholarship offers and walk on at the University of Utah, where he quickly proved himself worthy of a spot on the team. He redshirted in 2013 and played a major role on the scout teams the following season. Falemaka finally got on the field the first two games of the 2015 season against Michigan and Utah State, but an injury forced him to sit out the rest of the year.
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"Walking on, I just followed in everybody's footsteps ahead of me, learned from them, and took note when I needed to as well. It has all just been about gaining experience and getting ready for my next opportunity," explained Falemaka.
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As it turned out, Falemaka was ready when his first major playing opportunity presented itself early last season. Starting center J.J. Dielman was injured early in the game against Cal, and Falemaka, who had barely gotten his feet wet the first three years of his college career, was called upon to fill his spot.
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"At first, it didn't feel real. As I was jogging out there, I realized that this was actually happening and I was getting my opportunity to prove myself," recalled Falemaka. "It was kind of shocking, but I overcame that after the first couple snaps and then everything was just rolling."
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However, soon after receiving that opportunity, Falemaka suffered an injury of his own. He missed the next three games and wasn't able to return until the final five games of the season. With the Utes having developed another starting center at that point, Falemaka was relegated back to playing on the special teams.
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"It was a long process getting back from that injury, and it just straight up sucked. Definitely, with the help of my teammates, family and coaches, everybody helped me in the process of getting back onto the field," said Falemaka.
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Besides recovering from his injury, there were other things Falemaka worked on during the offseason to prepare for his senior year. He is very focused on the goals he has set for himself and the team.
Â
"Gaining weight was important this offseason. I know my weight was a big factor [at my position] and it was a thing that some of the coaches were worried about. I got [my weight] up, and I think everything about my game is pretty solid right now," explained Falemaka. "For our team, our main goal is just to win. We also want to be able to run the ball efficiently this year, so the offensive line needs to be a dominant force."
Â
As a senior and one of the older players on a rebuilt offensive line, Falemaka is finding himself in more of a leadership position this season. He understands that he will be one of the guys the coaches look to for leadership on offense as well as the entire team this season.
Â
"I'm not so much of a [natural] leader, but everybody on the team shows such a great amount of respect to the seniors and the guys who have been around here for a while. So, that aspect of the team made the leadership role easier [for me] to obtain," stated Falemaka.
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Once his football career is over, Falemaka would like to use his degree in sociology to become a high school counselor back in his hometown of West Valley City, helping to provide guidance and leadership to others.
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In the meantime, look for Falemaka to continue to play a big role in the reshaping of Utah's young offensive line this season, hopefully paving the way to another double-digit win season, and perhaps even more.
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Utah Athletics Communications
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Lo Falemaka's football beginnings were very different from most players who make it to the college level.
Â
Blessed with the natural ability to eventually become the starting center for a Pac-12 program like Utah, you would think that Falemaka was probably the type of kid who couldn't wait to get on the football field. However, Falemaka had other interests and was forced to play football by his mother.
Â
"I started playing when I was eight or nine years old," Falemaka explained. "My mom kind of forced me to play and kicked me out of the house because I was playing video games all day. I would also sleep in really late and eat all of the food at the house. I was just lazy, so she signed me up for football."
Â
However, once Falemaka got his first taste of football, he grew to love the sport and it became a major part of his life. Falemaka attended Cottonwood High School, just 15 minutes south of the U. campus, and lettered three straight years for the Colts while helping them win the 2010 Region 2 Championship. During his early high school years, attending college wasn't something that Falemaka was considering.
Â
"It was fun playing at Cottonwood, just because everybody there had the same mind set. Everybody wanted to be a better person, go to college, and play college football, too. Obviously, the help of my friends kept me on the right path to where I am now," said Falemaka.
Â
"College wasn't in the plans at first," he continued. "In high school, I wasn't even thinking about going to college until I got offered [a scholarship] my junior year. After that, I realized that I needed to start taking things more seriously. I started going to the weight room more, worked on my footwork, and improved in the classroom too."
Â
Following his time at Cottonwood, Falemaka elected to pass on some other scholarship offers and walk on at the University of Utah, where he quickly proved himself worthy of a spot on the team. He redshirted in 2013 and played a major role on the scout teams the following season. Falemaka finally got on the field the first two games of the 2015 season against Michigan and Utah State, but an injury forced him to sit out the rest of the year.
Â
"Walking on, I just followed in everybody's footsteps ahead of me, learned from them, and took note when I needed to as well. It has all just been about gaining experience and getting ready for my next opportunity," explained Falemaka.
Â
As it turned out, Falemaka was ready when his first major playing opportunity presented itself early last season. Starting center J.J. Dielman was injured early in the game against Cal, and Falemaka, who had barely gotten his feet wet the first three years of his college career, was called upon to fill his spot.
Â
"At first, it didn't feel real. As I was jogging out there, I realized that this was actually happening and I was getting my opportunity to prove myself," recalled Falemaka. "It was kind of shocking, but I overcame that after the first couple snaps and then everything was just rolling."
Â
However, soon after receiving that opportunity, Falemaka suffered an injury of his own. He missed the next three games and wasn't able to return until the final five games of the season. With the Utes having developed another starting center at that point, Falemaka was relegated back to playing on the special teams.
Â
"It was a long process getting back from that injury, and it just straight up sucked. Definitely, with the help of my teammates, family and coaches, everybody helped me in the process of getting back onto the field," said Falemaka.
Â
Besides recovering from his injury, there were other things Falemaka worked on during the offseason to prepare for his senior year. He is very focused on the goals he has set for himself and the team.
Â
"Gaining weight was important this offseason. I know my weight was a big factor [at my position] and it was a thing that some of the coaches were worried about. I got [my weight] up, and I think everything about my game is pretty solid right now," explained Falemaka. "For our team, our main goal is just to win. We also want to be able to run the ball efficiently this year, so the offensive line needs to be a dominant force."
Â
As a senior and one of the older players on a rebuilt offensive line, Falemaka is finding himself in more of a leadership position this season. He understands that he will be one of the guys the coaches look to for leadership on offense as well as the entire team this season.
Â
"I'm not so much of a [natural] leader, but everybody on the team shows such a great amount of respect to the seniors and the guys who have been around here for a while. So, that aspect of the team made the leadership role easier [for me] to obtain," stated Falemaka.
Â
Once his football career is over, Falemaka would like to use his degree in sociology to become a high school counselor back in his hometown of West Valley City, helping to provide guidance and leadership to others.
Â
In the meantime, look for Falemaka to continue to play a big role in the reshaping of Utah's young offensive line this season, hopefully paving the way to another double-digit win season, and perhaps even more.
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Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
OL
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