Uani' Unga Using Life Lessons to Make Push for New York Giants' Final Roster

New York Giants linebacker Uani’ Unga is such a soft-spoken young man that, at times, it becomes necessary to lean in a little closer than what is perhaps desired to hear what he has to say.

However, when it comes to his play on the field, Unga’s “voice” is about as loud as anyone’s.

It has to be. The 27-year old Unga, who hails from Rancho Cucamonga, California, is in his first year in the NFL after spending part of last season on the Giants practice squad.

Unga, who because of the numbers at the linebacker position probably faces an uphill battle to stick around, is no stranger to having to overcome the odds. Fortunately, his upbringing and background have prepared him for precisely the uphill fight he needs to win in order to make this Giants team.

A Man of Faith

Unga has twice had to put his budding football career on hold through no choice of his own.

The first time happened when he was in his late teens when he was sent on a two-year Mormon mission to Guatemala.

There, Unga’s primary role was to support the local residents in strengthening their religious faith. However while there, he learned things that no school textbook could have prepared him for.

He saw firsthand what economic hardship looked like and witnessed daily life in a country where, at least in certain regions, luxuries common to most North Americans are rare.

Despite having to leave behind his family, friends and football career, Unga said the experience was worth it. 

“The mission has definitely put me in situations that I never thought I would be in,” he said. “Serving in a third world country is completely different. It was a great experience overall; meeting people, people of different lifestyles, people of different ethnic backgrounds and cultures and being able to take all of that in and somehow talk about God.”  

Passing the Test

Besides helping the people of Guatemala reinforce their religious faith, Unga would also get a lesson in the same area, one on which he was tested as a student-athlete.

Unga, who began his college football career at Oregon State, would later transfer to BYU, where he starred as a middle linebacker and for which he was a defensive co-captain as a senior.

In 2013, Unga’s star really took off. That season, he finished with 143 tackles (62 solo) and 7.5 tackles for a loss and began dreaming of a chance to excel in the NFL.

In the blink of an eye—or more specifically a snap of an ACL—Unga’s faith would be tested.

The injury happened in Unga’s final game for the Cougars, a 31-16 loss to Washington. As soon as his ACL ligament tore, Unga knew that his path for the NFL suddenly became a lot longer.

“That was tough for me,” said Unga, who is of Tongan descent.

“But I knew God had a plan for me.”

Starting Over

A relentless worker, Unga attacked his rehab with the same intensity he shows when he attacks opposing ball-carriers who just happen to luck out in slipping to the second level.

His rehab was lengthy, but successful, and he soon began to make the rounds at various NFL camps where he was invited to try out. 

With no luck coming of those tryouts, his agent managed to get him in for one of the Giants' weekly tryouts in the 2014 season.

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At the time, New York had some injury concerns at the linebacker position after losing Jon Beason (toe) and Jacquian Williams (concussion) for the season.

The Giants liked what they saw of Unga and signed him to their practice squad on December 23, 2014. Six days later, once the Giants’ dismal 6-10 season ended, Unga was signed to what Jared Lloyd of the Daily Herald reported was a three-year reserves/futures contract.

“He’s got some range. He’s a stocky young man, but he has range,” said Giants linebackers coach Jim Herrmann of Unga.

“He can move around in there, so that’s what we saw on his college film prior to his injury coming out of college. That’s why we brought him in.”

Unga’s athletic ability certainly isn’t surprising considering he comes from a family of athletes.

According to his BYU college bio, two of his brothers, Feti (his twin) and Paul play at Oregon State and Arizona State, respectively. His cousin and BYU’s all-time leading rusher, Harvey Unga, spent the 2012 season with the Chicago Bears.

Another relative, uncle Tim Manoa, played running back in 1987-89 for Cleveland and 1991 for Indianapolis. 

Leading the "D"

As any football fan knows, the middle linebacker is the quarterback of a defense.

It’s also a role that Unga has embraced with open arms. In the Giants’ preseason opener against the Cincinnati Bengals, the young man finished with three tackles in 36 defensive snaps and one pass defensed, according to the NFL’s official game book.  

“I thought he did a great job of taking over the role as the 'Mike' [line] 'backer and making calls,” Herrmann said of Unga’s preseason debut.

“He got in on a few plays, made a hell of a play tipping the ball. He made a great call in there and got the guys lined up.

Last week against Jacksonville, Unga finished second on the team with six tackles (five solo) and one pass defensed.

The modest Unga described his performance last week as “OK,” adding that he has a long way to go, especially if he’s called upon to play a larger role in the defense than he currently holds.

“I’m not trying to get ahead of myself,” he said. “I’m just trying to prepare myself if the opportunity comes, and hopefully I’ll be ready.”

To make sure he is ready for whatever comes, Unga has formed a close bond with Beason, the three-time Pro Bowler who has a history of being generous with advising younger teammates. 

Among the areas that Beason has helped Unga with include spotting opponents’ tendencies based on formations and dissecting the minutest detail of a play.

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“He says things, points things out, and I’m thinking ‘This guy sees everything before things actually happen.’ I’m hoping to ride by his side for a little bit and get as much as I can from him, and hopefully that goes well,” Unga said.

He apparently need not worry about that, as Beason had nothing but praise for his young protege.  

“Honestly speaking, he has that ‘it’ factor,” Beason said. “He impresses me based on his rare instincts. I define that word [instinct] in sports as someone who has done something so consistently right that it becomes second nature.

“I love that he wants it, and it's evident in his preparation. He takes coaching and applies it right on the field. He's a mild-mannered person, but tough as they come. He has an exceptional first step allowing him to make a decision and go.”

The Giants playbook and the speed of the game have been a lot for Unga to take in and digest, but he has been managing by breaking things down into smaller chunks. 

“There are still a lot of things that I have to be smoother about, with all my checks,” he said. “Everything’s moving 20 times faster than college—and I thought college was moving fast. So again, just take it a little by little.” 

So far, so good as far as his football elders are concerned.

“Aggressive, very good on special teams,” is how head coach Tom Coughlin described Unga, adding, “He made a couple of nice plays at the Mike 'backer position [against the Jaguars], and he seems to be a physical player.”

“I like his development. I think he’s going to get better and better as he goes,” Herrmann added.

“I really enjoy watching him play. He'll make a NFL team this year; I feel confident about that,” Beason said. 

John Minchillo/Associated Press

Using the Past for the Future

Starting this spring, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been treating his defensive players to history lessons on past Giants defenses and defensive stars.

Count Unga as one of the many players who has been in awe of what he has seen so far.

“They teach us about the Giants greats, and they try to get us to understand what we play for,” he said, adding that his biggest thrill thus far was meeting Carl Banks, who played linebacker for the team from 1984 to 1995 and who is currently a member of the Giants’ broadcasting team.

Donald Traill/Associated Press/Associated Press

“It’s a big family—once a Giant, always a Giant,” Unga said with a smile. “Knowing that there were great players before us makes us want to step up to that bar and be able to play great also.”

Unga is very reserved and mostly self-critical of himself to where he didn’t want to discuss his chances of making the 53-man roster.

With three members of the Giants linebacker corps—Beason (knee), Mark Herzlich (concussion) and Jonathan Casillas (neck)—ailing, Unga’s chances have improved and can continue to improve if he continues to build each week on the prior week’s accomplishments. 

For the time being, Unga’s primary goal is to be better tomorrow than he was today, and he has a laundry list of areas in which he hopes to improve. 

“I think being able to be a leader on the field. Those little miscommunications going on when I was in there, and I want to make sure that all of that is cleared up, so that when my name is called, I will be able to lead the pack just as well any other linebacker would that’s in front of me,” Unga said regarding his top priority.

“I just want to make sure that I know what I’m doing, so I am more confident out there making checks, which will also make the other guys more confident in me.”

Patricia Traina covers the Giants for Inside Football, the Journal Inquirer and Sports Xchange. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced.

Follow @Patricia_Traina.