As a senior football player at Bingham High School, Harvey Langi could not have anticipated the many changes that would occur in the next five years. Two universities, one mission, one marriage and three different football positions later, Langi is satisfied with the course his life took and where he is now.
FOOTBALL BEGINNING
Langi always dreamed of playing football. Now, 6-foot-3 and 252 pound senior Langi holds a presence on the field and is fulfilling his childhood dreams.
Langi’s parents, Sam and Kalesita, moved from Polynesia to South Jordan, Utah, where they taught their children how to work hard and achieve worthwhile goals. A family consisting of seven sons and three daughters, the Langis worked hard to make ends meet. Convinced that football would teach their sons values needed to become successful, Sam and Kalesita encouraged Langi to play football.
“I’ve been playing football ever since I was seven years old,” Langi said. “I started with pulling the flags and gradually worked up to playing with the pads and tackling for the win.”
Langi went on to dominate the field as a running back for Bingham High school. Football has never been an individual sport for Langi— he always wanted to have his “family team” close by. Langi wrote every member of his family’s name on his arm before every game, as seen in the 2015 Sundance film “In Football We Trust”.
PATH TO BYU
Although Langi and his family are long-time BYU football fans, Harvey was recruited by the University of Utah after his senior year of high school to play running back. Langi played as a true freshman for the Utes in 2011.
An unfavorable newspaper report came out during Langi’s first year of Pac-12 football. Langi was not receiving the playing time he had anticipated and the media questioned whether Langi was prepared to play at the college level.
Following the negative flack that was thrown at him, a greater spark was lit in the football player. “In Football We Trust” Sundance film, Langi’s reaction was captured.
“I took that newspaper cutout, put it in my locker and just went to town,” Langi recounts.
Langi finished out his freshman year at Utah and then announced that he would be serving a 2-year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
“A lot of people thought I was going on a mission because I was scared of football or scared of not playing because I didn’t do well my first year,” said Langi. “I wasn’t scared. I knew I could still play ball. I knew that I had the ability to do well if I put my mind to it.”
After receiving his assignment to serve in the Florida Tampa Mission, Langi left behindfriends, family and football to serve the Lord. Upon returning, Langi surprised the public by transferring from Utah to BYU and switching from running back to linebacker.
“I treasure my mission experience and all of the things I learned there,” Langi said. “I previously attended the University of Utah, but after I came back from my mission, I transferred here to BYU. The mission played a big role in that change.”
Langi started his sophomore season in 2014 at BYU as a linebacker, his first position change.
“I am a bigger guy and I just think statistically and realistically Polynesians are more likely to get picked up in the NFL as defensive players,” said Langi.
Although Langi went through a steep learning curve during his sophomore year, he worked diligently and during his junior season, he began making game-changing defensive plays.
Starting in a total of 11 games during the 2015 season, Langi contributed to the defense by making two crucial sacks during the Boise State game and two interceptions while playing against UCLA. 43 solo tackles were made throughout the season in addition to the 25 assisted tackles.
Now at the beginning of his senior season, once again, a final position change has been made. But switching from linebacker to defensive end doesn’t intimidate Langi.
“It’s titled as a new position, but football is football,” Langi said. “My job is to stop the ball and get to the quarterback. I have experience doing a lot of those things and now I’m just working on the finesse and some of the detailed things that come with it. It’s an art and I’m trying to learn it.”
It doesn’t really matter where Langi plays because he will find a way to make plays and succeed in whatever position he is placed.
“He’s a really good football player, teammate senior linebacker Sae Tautu said in a recent article by the Deseret News. “He’s a playmaker. I don’t think it matters where he is on the football field. He’s going to wreak havoc wherever he is.”
Cassie Langi, Langi’s wife of almost four months, knows that he will be a playmaker on the field.
“I can just see the determination in those crazy, big, intimidating eyes,” she said.
Langi played for former head coach Bronco Mendenhall for two years and now in his final season, is reunited with coach Kalani Sitake. Sitake worked as defensive coordinator for the Utah Utes from 2009-2014. Langi was still playing running back at the time, and Sitake did not coach that position. However, Sitake still had a profound influence on Langi.
“He’s one of my favorite coaches,” said Langi. “He’s the only football coach that showed up at my farewell for my mission and the only one who came to my homecoming, which meant a lot to me. We’ve always had a good relationship.”
MOVING FORWARD
Langi pursues one of his passions in his study at BYU. In April of 2017, he plans to graduate with a major in film and will either continue on in the NFL or begin working in the film industry.
“The NFL is a dream and I’m chasing it,” Langi said. “That’s the opportunity that I want and if I get it, I will ride it as long as I can. I am graduating in film because I love writing and making music and movies. You may not see it from the outside, but I consider myself an artistic guy. If it weren’t for football, that would be my No. 1 passion.”
Langi wants to keep football a consistent part of his life, either as a player or a coach. Following in his coaches’ footsteps is one of his future dreams.
“I would love to be a coach!” Langi said. “I love kids and I love watching them succeed. I coached every week in August at high school camps and thoroughly enjoyed it. Hopefully I can follow in my own coaches’ shoes and be able to encourage others as my coaches have done with me.”
Embracing the honor code, culture and rigorous academics at BYU has helped to create an all-around life-changing experience for Langi. The cherry on top was meeting and marrying Cassidy Langi, a former UVU volleyball athlete.
Cassie is confident that Langi will be able to accomplish whatever he puts his mind to. She has seen his determination on and off the field.
“He has always been a very, very hard worker”, Cassidy said. “He is just very determined to succeed and doesn’t consider failing an option. He is very competitive and pushes himself to be the best he can.”
Cassie said Langi has wanted to provide for his family as long as she has known him and he works to do so.
Although Langi’s home was crowded growing up, his parents had open hearts and an open door. So came about Langi’s next dream–to own a foster care or assisted living facility.
“My family always had fosters live with us and my mom would always have someone who was elderly and disabled living with us as well,” Langi shared. “I have been around that my whole life.”
Langi plans on taking care of the people around him, and most importantly, he wants to take care of his family, because that is his life-long team.
LEAVING IT ON THE FIELD
Looking forward to the future and yet maintaining focus on the present, Langi is ready for his senior season. He wants to give his all to the team and finish out the season honorably.
Langi is known on the team as one that doesn’t play for himself. It’s not about being in the limelight, rather, Langi helps promote his teammates and assist them in making game-changing plays.
“Harvey is a very hard worker and one of the greatest leaders on our team,” said junior linebacker, Fred Warner. “He has worked through a lot of adversity and has become quite the play-maker. He is willing to do whatever the coaches want him to do and that helps inspire those around him. He is a great person and a true leader.”
Langi promises to give all he has, regardless of the outcome.
“Leaving it all out on the field is the only thing you can give to a team,” Langi said. “Because it’s a team sport, I can’t control every outcome, but I can control what I do to help create a positive outcome."
BROTHERS ON THE TEAM
Harvey Langi did not come to be jersey No. 21 by mere coincidence. Langi’s older brother, Sam, was the first brother to start the running back tradition and played in jersey No. 20. After completing his senior season, Sam was one of the most sought-after running backs in the state and even held a national ranking.
“Everyone said that Sam was one of the best running backs to ever come out and so I told myself I wanted to be better than he was. So I chose to be number 21.”
This determination to become better than his brother is not one created out of spite. Harvey has long admired his brother.
“The only reason I even played running back was because of Sam. He has been one of the greatest role models to get me to the place I am today.”
So far, each Langi brother has followed in the football pattern. Paul was a part of BYU’s football team in 2015 and played just the one year with Harvey. The next youngest Langi brother, Tongi, will join the BYU football team next year as a defensive back, continuing the Langi tradition on this team.