What a pair of talented Polynesians in the trenches for Nebraska. What a time in the program’s proud history.
In 2000, Dominic Raiola started at center for Nebraska, and Toniu Fonoti was the No. 1 left guard.
They both left NU as first-team All-Americans — Raiola in 2000, Fonoti in 2001.
What some people will remember most is their fiery nature.
“I can never see anybody being nice and playing O-line,” Fonoti told me Saturday from Provo, Utah.
Fonoti, 42, has reentered the Nebraska football realm in a fairly significant way because as a volunteer coach for West High School in Salt Lake City, he helps guide three-star offensive lineman Brian Tapu , who on Thursday night verbally committed to play for the Huskers.
Yes, Fonoti is elated. He’s immensely proud of his time at NU.
“Also, he’ll be coached by Donnie,” Fonoti said of fellow Hawaii native Donovan Raiola , Nebraska’s third-year offensive line coach. “I’ve seen what Donnie can do. I know what he can do. In my own opinion, I felt Donnie would be a good one to take Brian on, take him under his wing — to take what I’m teaching Brian and add even more.”
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Polynesian presence quietly takes stronger hold at NU
You perhaps notice a Polynesian presence taking a stronger hold in Nebraska’s program. It’s interesting in part because when Dominic Raiola arrived in Lincoln as a Husker freshman in 1997 — a product of Saint Louis High in Honolulu, Hawaii — he was NU’s first Polynesian player of that period. More Polynesians would arrive in coming years, including Fonoti, who starred at Kahuku High in Hawaii.
Now, Nebraska true freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola — Dominic Raiola’s eldest son and Donovan’s nephew — spearheads the reemerging Polynesian presence in the program. It’s a welcome development in the eyes of many. For instance, Husker defensive line coach Terrance Knighton recently told me of the importance of redshirt freshman D-lineman Sua Lefotu taking incoming freshman EDGE defender Keona Wilhite under his wing.
They’re both Polynesians, and they both have a certain fire that helps define them, Knighton said.
Which is why Nebraska fans should perhaps feel good about the program landing offensive lineman Preston Taumua , On3’s top-ranked player in Hawaii in the class of 2024, and now the 6-foot-5, 300-pound Tapu in the class of 2025. What’s more, it appears Nebraska is in good position to land a commitment from O-lineman Houston Kaahaaina-Torres , the top-rated player in Hawaii in the class of 2025, according to the On3 Industry ranking.
Polynesian presence means plenty to Fonoti
The Polynesian presence in Nebraska’s program “means a lot to me because Dom paved the way for us to get there,” Fonoti said. “It was Dom, Tony Tata (in the class of 1998), then it was me, Junior Tagoa’i and Dan Vili Waldrop. It was cool.”
Tagoa’i was originally a defensive lineman who moved to the offensive side. He definitely had a fiery nature to him. He could be intimidating even in an interview setting. Fonoti, meanwhile, was gentle off the field, and fierce on it.
“Now, to see they’re bringing in more Polynesian kids, I’m proud,” Fonoti said. “I’m Big Red all the way, and I’ll be red all day. To see them go to my alma mater, this is what we’ve been working toward.”
Fonoti, a second-round NFL Draft pick who played five-plus seasons in the league, genuinely believes that most Polynesian players have the sort of makeup that helps lead to strong play in the trenches and elsewhere. Knighton referred to their “fire.” Football in general comes naturally to many of them, Fonoti said.
“I feel like Polynesians were bred to be what a lot of people have said — from Troy Polamalu to Jesse Sapolu — that we’re bred to be warriors,” Fonoti said. “And if you look at our history, if you look back at our ancestors, we’ve been fighting. My grandfather was a fighter, my dad was a fighter, my grandfather on my mom’s side was a fighter. It’s just who we are.
“I think it’s just in the blood for Polynesians. That’s why football kind of comes naturally to most Polynesians that jump into the sport.”
Tapu, who moved to Utah from New Zealand in 2023, jumped into the sport of football only a year ago and consequently is “very raw” as a player, Fonoti said. A talented basketball player in New Zealand, Tapu is busy learning the nuances of football, including its physical nature.
But Tapu has a distinct “willingness to be coached,” Fonoti said. “He’s not a hard kid to coach at all. On top of that, he just wants to work. So, you get those two traits, then you add the talent and the hunger to be better, that’s what you look for as a coach, right?
“You’re looking for that hunger. You’re looking for that potential. You can see it with Brian.”
Tapu originally attended a private high school in Layton, Utah, before transferring to West High in Salt Lake City, where Fonoti volunteers as a coach. Fonoti lives in Provo, Utah.
He says Tapu has an intriguing story to tell.
“Brian came on a vacation to the U.S. His uncle was one of my players last year (at West High). He decided to bring Brian to a workout and the next thing you know, he wanted to play football,” Fonoti said. “I was like, ‘Cool.’”
“A lot of times, when you get guys like him who come in from a different sport, I don’t think they understand the physicality of football,” Fonoti added. “It’s a collision sport. When you’re having to do that every single play, you can’t be soft on yourself, or against anybody else.
“He’s starting to understand that you can hit somebody and not worry about going to jail for it.”
Fonoti recorded 32 pancake blocks in single game
Tapu, the first offensive lineman to join Nebraska’s class of 2025, seemingly has an excellent teacher in Fonoti, who in 2001 recorded a school-record 32 pancake blocks against Texas Tech. As Fonoti matured as a college player, he distinguished himself as a tone-setter in practice who had low tolerance for slackers, according to the late Husker offensive line coach Milt Tenopir, whom I interviewed frequently over the years.
I’ve seen few players as ferocious as Fonoti. Dominic Raiola is one of them, though, and they played alongside each other for a Nebraska team that finished 10-2 in 2000, with a 66-17 win against Northwestern in the Alamo Bowl.
Those were better times in the program, obviously.
That level of winning can return, make no mistake, and we all know where it must start.
It must start in the trenches, where consistent ferociousness is a must.
Fonoti embodies that spirit as well as anyone.
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The post Steven Sipple: Growing Polynesian presence in Nebraska’s program gets O-line legend Toniu Fonoti’s warrior blood flowing appeared first on On3 .
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