Bears Pick Unga in Supplemental Draft

 

The Chicago Bears selected running back Harvey Unga in the seventh round of the supplemental draft.
Unga led BYU in career rushing yards, and he led the Mountain West Conference with 1,087 rushing yards in 2009.

As a result of today's pick, the Bears will forego a seventh-round

With Matt Forte and Chester Taylor penciled in atop the Bears' depth chart at running back, Unga is expected to compete with Garrett Wolfe, Khalil Bell and rookie free agent Brandon Minor for a backup spot on the roster. The Bears currently have two fullbacks under contract: Eddie Williams and Will Ta'ufo'ou, after releasing veteran Jason McKie earlier in the offseason. The Bears were one of 20 teams to attend Unga's workout in front of NFL scouts prior to the supplemental draft.

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BYU's Harvey Unga Hoping to Return From Honor Code Violation

Brigham Young coach Bronco Mendenhall says suspended running back Harvey Unga wants to return to school "in the most desperate way."

Unga, the Cougars' all-time leading rusher with 3,455, skipped the NFL draft to return for his senior year. But he was kicked out of school for violating the school's honor code.

"Harvey's first choice, and what he's fighting diligently for in trying to express to the administration at BYU, is that he wants to be back," Mendenhall said during a Mountain West Conference teleconference. "This goes back to the decision he made (last January) to not declare for the (NFL) draft early and stay at BYU."

His case will be heard by the school's dean. The school has specific criteria for student behavior, including rules against the use of alcohol and tobacco and premarital sex.

Unga has been dating BYU women's basketball player Keilani Moeaki. She  also voluntarily withdrew from school Friday due to an honor code violation. The pair were engaged last year before calling the wedding off last spring. Unga recently confirmed they are still dating.

If he is refused readmittance into school,  his options are to transfer to another school or enter the NFL's supplemental draft.

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BYU Star RB Harvey Unga Withdraws From School

 BYU running back Harvey Unga and BYU basketball player Keilani Moeaki announed that they were withdrawing from the school effective immediately. The move sent shockwaves through the community.

The biggest news prior to a huge weekend in spring ball for the Big 5 schools came down the wire this evening when BYU running back Harvey Unga announced that he--along with basketball player Keilani Moeaki, a person with whom he was once engaged--is leaving BYU.

The decision has literally floored many in the community, because Unga--who was a first-team All Mountain West Conference selection last year and All-America candidate--is BYU’s all-time leading rusher and was poised for a huge senior season.

The school submitted a press release stating that the reason was for an “honor code violation,” but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Unga--who earlier turned down an opportunity to turn pro early and return to BYU--and Moeaki may be back on after they were on-again, off-again in their relationship, according to several reports.

With both Unga’s and Moeaki’s coaches citing “personal matters,” it seems only obvious that the real reason Unga and Moeaki left was because they had premarital relations while at the school, an Honor Code violation. Only time will tell whether or not it is more than that.

“I fully support Harvey and his decision regarding his personal situation,” BYU football coach Bronco Mendenhall said. “The possibility of not having Harvey on the field in the fall would certainly have an impact on our team, but my main concern right now is in supporting Harvey.”

BYU women’s basketball coach Jeff Judkins also weighed in on the issue. Moeaki, a 6-foot-2 senior forward for the Cougars, averaged over four points and two rebounds per contest, helping lead her team to the WNIT quarterfinals.

“Keilani has been a valuable contributor to our team the past three years,” BYU women’s basketball coach Jeff Judkins said. “She has my support while she takes time to address some important personal matters.”

Although nobody really knows the reason why Unga is leaving the school--and it may be too early to speculate on the matter--BYU fans and football fans in general will be glued to their radios and TV sets, their Twitter feeds and Facebook pages waiting for an answer that will eventually come out.

The other rumor floating somewhat heavily around cyberspace is that Unga has already spoken to Weber State and head coach Ron McBride about transferring to the program.

Should Unga transfer to Weber State, a school in the FCS, he would still retain his senior year of eligibility and be allowed--per NCAA rules--to play immediately.

Should the transfer take place, Weber State would position itself well in the next season as a legitimate FCS championship contender.

The other option for Unga is to enter the NFL as a free agent. It is also unlikely that Unga would find himself drafted next week, although it is possible that he would be considered for a late-round choice. Unga leaves BYU with 3,455 yards rushing and a legacy that may never be topped.

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Don't Count Out The Nation of Tonga for Football Talent

The decision by Harvey Unga looms big for not only himself and BYU, but the latest generation of football players with roots and ties to Tonga.

You may have tuned into CBS' 60 Minutes last Sunday and viewed the fine piece on American football in Samoa. A few hundred miles to the south is the Friendly Islands of Tonga, which has far greater potential than Samoa for providing football players to U.S. colleges and the NFL.

American Samoa has a population of about 60,000, if I recall the figures mentioned in the CBS piece. There are 260,000 Tongans in the world. During a lunch this past week, I discussed this with Timani Tonga, whose family lived with my family at Liahona High School near Nukalofa, Tonga in the 60s.

Timani's cousin is the father of Manase and Matangi Tonga, both recruited by BYU out of the San Mateo area in northern Calif.

Timani told me Tongan athletes have favored BYU as a choice for several generations, it just seemed to be the place where many sent their kids when they migrated to Laie, Hawaii to attend school. It was a church thing. But it's getting harder for BYU to expect that kind of loyalty with other recruiters making solid pitches with promises to take care of their sons. Rival Utah has been extremely successful recruiting Tongan players since Ron McBride made it an emphasis. If you look at Pac-10 schools, Polynesian players, Tongans in particular dot the rosters at USC, UCLA, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, ASU, Arizona and other schools.

It's a unique dynamic. Many of the Tongan players on BYU's team, guys like Harvey Unga, Manase Tonga, Fahu Tahi, Fui Vakapuna and others grew up in the United States. Same for Utah D-coordinator Kalani Sitake, who grew up in Missouri. Only a few, like the generation of BYU defensive line coach Steve Kaufusi have actually lived in Tonga. Kaufusi returned to Tonga to serve an LDS mission. There are five Tongan LDS stakes in the U.S., three of them are located in Utah and two in California.


According to Timani, it is the only ethnic group in the LDS Church that has specific status in stakes. Other ethnic groups may have branches or wards that are of a specific ethnicity, but the Tongans carry a very unique role in the church when it comes to these stakes.

According to Timani, who worked in the Tongan government as an accountant and also served in many LDS leadership roles in the Islands, of the 260,000 Tongans, 140,000 live outside Tonga, a country that boasts at least 18 LDS stakes. Timani said 52 percent of all Tongan are LDS.

Harvey Unga's parents come from the Island of Vava'u in Tonga and are tied to the Unga and Langi name line. Most all Ungas and Langis are related through this line.

That Harvey Unga could possibly return, get a degree and become one of only nine college players to ever rush for 1,000 yards for four-straight seasons is a big thing for Tongans because it sets a solid example for the others who may choose the Cougars, Utah, USU, SUU or other FSB programs. Haloti Ngata, a Tongan who starred at Highland High before going to Oregon and then the NFL is also a huge inspiration for his countrymen.

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Several Pac-10 schools out of the College of San Mateo heavily recruited Matangi Tonga, expelled from BYU after being involved in law-breaking activities as a freshman. He was offered by ASU's coaching staff but according to reports, the administration intervened and refused to allow Matangi a scholarship. He will enroll at Houston.

According to sources, former BYU safety Shiloah Teo, a Samoan, will enroll at Washington and play for Steve Sarkisian. I haven't seen his list among Washington 2010 recruits. He may have already enrolled as a mid-year player.

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Today, BYU football spokesman reported the following athletes will not be available for spring football:

The following players have had or are scheduled to have post-season surgery: senior defensive back Andrew Rich (ankle), sophomore defensive back Robbie Buckner (shoulder), junior offensive lineman Marco Thorson (shoulder), sophomore offensive lineman Braden Hansen (thumb) and freshman wide receiver Ross Apo (shoulder).

Rich, Buckner, Thorson and Hansen have already undergone surgery for injuries sustained during the 2009 season, and Apo is scheduled for surgery this week to treat an injury suffered in high school.

Hansen is probable for spring practices, Rich and Buckner are questionable, and Thorson and Apo will be out for spring. All are expected to participate in fall camp.

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Unga Planning For Big Senior Season

 During halftime of BYU's 91-47 rout of Colorado State Saturday at the Marriott Center, the school honored the Cougar football team, which posted an 11-2 record and ended up with a No. 12 final ranking.

After thanking the fans for their support, coach Bronco Mendenhall handed the microphone to running back Harvey Unga, so he could personally tell them he's coming back for his senior season.

Of course, that news was officially announced last Thursday, but it gave Unga the opportunity to hear the reaction to his decision -- deafening roars of approval.

Afterwards, Unga met with reporters for the first time since announcing his return. He said the main reason for coming back in 2010 is the chance to earn a degree.

"The biggest factor for me was easily the education part," he said. "I had the chance to meet with a lot of former players. Some of whom finished college and some who didn't. The feedback I got from all of those that graduated, mainly, was that they were glad they got their education. Those who didn't graduate told me if they could go back and do things differently, they'd definitely get their education done."

As part of his decision-making process, Unga sent in paperwork requesting an NFL evaluation, which gave him an idea of where he might be drafted. He declined to talk much about that evaluation.

"Coach Mendenhall and I were the only two allowed to talk about that stuff," he said. "It's between he and I."

Considering that BYU is replacing three-year quarterback Max Hall and consensus All-America tight end Dennis Pitta, many believe the Cougar offense will revolve around Unga next season.

"Personally, I don't see it that way," said Unga. "There's going to be quarterbacks fighting for that starting position. I don't think anyone really knew about Max Hall before John Beck, and when he came in out of nowhere, he kind of shocked everybody. Can we replace Max? I think we've got some good guys to take that spot and take off where he left off. We'll be okay. Our coaching staff has done a good job recruiting. They've done a great job with schemes with our offense and we'll continue to grow and learn a lot in the off-season and take it from there."

Unga, who is BYU's all-time leading rusher, said that he's going to do everything he can to improve his game as he prepares for his senior campaign.

"There's tons of things I want to work on," Unga said. "That's one of the biggest things that motivated me to stay. A lot of times I sat there and thought, 'What else can I do?' A lot of people might think, 'He doesn't have much left to do here, considering records.' But in my eyes, there's a lot left out there on the field for me to accomplish as a college athlete. This season will definitely push me to reach those goals and endeavors that I've set in front of me."

Unga is looking to continue being a go-to guy for the offense while honing his abilities for the next level.

"With Dennis and Max and a few others gone, I think there's a sense of urgency to make big plays on offense without those guys there," Unga said. "Blocking is always a big thing in the NFL that they look at. Can I work on blocking?

Definitely. There's a lot of nit-picky things, but those are the main things I'm going to work on."

While Unga has been hampered by a variety of injuries during his career, he's not fretting about injuries hurting his chances to eventually play in the NFL.

"If I worry about injury, it's going to take away from all of the other aspects of the game," he said. "As far as I'm concerned, if the injuries happen, they happen. It's something I definitely do not worry about."

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Harvey Unga: To Stay at Brigham Young University Or Go Pro?

Like most BYU fans I must qualify myself in this discussion as a biased fan that wants Harvey to stay so that BYU will be better next year. I would argue that he is the best back BYU has ever had, and one more year would only cement that, maybe forever.

Various sources are reporting that he intends to submit his name to the draft, which is pretty understandable considering another year in college only risks injury that may completely prevent him from playing in the NFL.

While there are not very many injuries that would completely end his career, it is reasonable to think that his draft stock would be greatly hindered by a major injury, especially one to his legs.

The biggest risk that he has in going to the NFL is not being drafted very high, or at all, and not making a team next year which would just be a waste for everyone involved.  Anyone who has seen him play very much realizes he is worthy of a reasonably high draft selection, but that is never a gimme.

Look at Austin Collie last year.  He led the country in receiving yards, and was in the top five in receptions and touchdowns.  He was also an All-American, but didn't get drafted until the fourth round, by no means a great slot. Unga does not have nearly the national recognition that Collie did.

Now, it turned out well for Collie who is playing for a great team, and has established himself as a quality receiver this year, but you never know what team will pick you up, especially as you get into the later rounds.

This draft is extremely loaded with quality prospects, and especially a lot of solid running backs. When I hear discussions of potential running backs being drafted I have not once heard Unga's name. He does not even appear on ESPN's list of potential draft picks.

Now let's consider what Harvey would gain by staying another year.
He would completely cement his legacy at BYU by increasing his record-setting numbers. He would be the star on a team that is known for its offensive prowess, and that has placed itself firmly in national discussions due to recent success.

Perhaps most importantly, he will have the chance to let the nation get to know him.  While watching the Las Vegas Bowl, the announcers repeatedly mentioned how good Harvey is. It was a nationally-televised game in which
Harvey showed only a glimmer of his true ability.

Now imagine the coverage of a senior leader that is crushing school and conference records as his team is often in the national discussion. He would be a year stronger, and in a draft that is not so heavily stacked, though there is no way to know what underclassmen will declare early next year.

Despite my deep desire that Harvey stay at BYU for one more year I genuinely think it is in his best interest to stay. I think he will be much better off if he does.

If he does declare for the draft then I will completely understand that, and I will support him completely hoping to see him plowing people over on Sundays, but I will have my fingers crossed that he doesn't until he announces his decision.

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Unga Might Skip Senior Year, Enter NFL Draft

 Could the Dec. 22 Las Vegas Bowl be the last time junior running back Harvey Unga dons a BYU uniform?

The Cougars' all-time leading rusher acknowledged this week that he is contemplating the possibility of forgoing his senior year in favor of next April's NFL draft.

"It's up in the air," Unga said.

For now, he's more concerned with the upcoming bowl game against Oregon State in Las Vegas.

"As far as I'm concerned, I've got one more college game this season to play. I'm focused on that," Unga said. "Whatever comes after that comes after that. I'm sticking around here. I'm here now. I've got one more game to worry about, then we'll figure everything out."

After BYU's 26-23 victory over Utah, offensive coordinator Robert Anae met with Unga, according to coach Bronco Mendenhall. Anae gave Unga "a number of people to talk to, that he trusts, that we trust, to give him the right advice," Mendenhall said.

Soon, Unga is expected to fill out paperwork and submit it to the NFL to gauge where he might go in the draft.

Unga has rushed for a school-record 3,396 yards in his career and has become the first BYU player to rush for more than 1,000 yards in three straight seasons.

"Once we get done with this bowl game, I'll see what doors are open and what opportunities are out there, then I'll take it from there," Unga said.

Asked about the factors that will play a part in his decision, Unga replied, "If I take the NFL evaluation, that will come a little into play, talking to the coaches and getting a feel for where they'll think I'll be and where I feel where I'll be in comparison to how the next season's going to come about. I don't know. I haven't really got much into it. I think talking to agents and getting a feel for what they think is a start for me and I'll take it from there and see how it all goes."

Said Mendenhall: "Harvey will take the time he needs. We have all the paperwork that needs to be submitted — that doesn't commit him to the draft, but allows it to be predicted as to where he will possibly fall in the draft, and where he might be selected. So that is in the process as well. But there isn't any decision that has been made to this point, and probably won't be until maybe after the holiday season."

OSU-BYU CONNECTIONS: The Las Vegas Bowl will be an Unga family reunion of sorts.

Harvey Unga has two cousins who play for Oregon State — twins Devin and Kevin Unga. They are freshmen linebackers.

"I talked to one of them (Sunday night)," Harvey Unga said. "The week before when we were trying to figure out who we would be playing, we were talking about it. I was giving him a hard time about maybe playing each other."

A pair of Beaver defensive tackles, junior Stephen Paea and senior Sioeli Nau, both played at Snow College with Cougar linebacker Coleby Clawson. Nau hails from Spanish Fork.

Meanwhile, BYU offensive line coach Mark Weber was the O-line coach at OSU from 1987-1990.

Maaco Bowl Las Vegas

BYU (10-2) vs.Oregon St. (8-4)
Dec. 22, 6 p.m.Sam Boyd Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: 102.7 FM, 1160 AM

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Unga Sets Cougs' Rushing Mark

As self analysis, Harvey Unga's description of the way he totes the football is beautiful and simple.

It is also misleading. Brutes don't own his footwork and the ability to make tacklers miss.

"Honestly, you guys can explain it better than me," the BYU runner said moments after the Cougars' 38-21 victory against Air Force on Saturday afternoon. "I just try to get out there and run the ball as hard as I can. I just try to make plays."

If trying was just enough, every back would rush for 1,000 yards a season and wind up as their school's all-time rushing leader. So, there is more to it than just wanting to go out and make plays.

The rest of the Mountain West Conference should also take note. Unga, who surpassed Curtis Brown's career rushing mark of 3,221 yards, is a junior. He'll be back.

Unga needed 21 yards to break Brown's mark. In addition, Unga was four carries away from passing Brown in that category as well.

For the day, Unga, nursing a sprained left ankle, did enough work in the first half to gain 67 yards on 11 carries. He needs 100 yards next week against Utah for his third consecutive 1,000-yard season.

"With Harvey healthy throughout the first half, we knew we'd have to use him and that gave us the balance we were looking for," BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall said. "When Harvey's healthy and we're able to run and throw the football, we're very hard to stop on offense."

Unga also caught three passes, which speaks to his ability to add another dimension to BYU's attack.

First and foremost, though, Unga's job is to gain the hard yards between the tackles. He gives the Cougars an aura of toughness. Often, as it has been this season, Unga took advantage of big holes, then broke tackles.

"It's great to block for Harvey," offensive lineman Terence Brown said. "He hits the hole hard and he does us a lot of favors, too. We don't block perfect on every play.

"We love Harvey. He's probably in there right now thanking the O-line."

He was.

Unga burst upon the BYU scene in 2007 as a freshman. He gained 1,227 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. The next season, Unga gained 1,132 yards with 11 scores.

While Unga may not match those numbers this year, his per carry average is an amazing 5.6.

"I wouldn't say I'm the most fanciest runner out there," he said. "My object is to get a first down, then eventually get into the end zone. I just try to play hard-nosed football."

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Fifth-Grader's Letter Earns Visit From Unga

It's possible that Aspen Elementary fifth-grader Benjamin Diehl of Lindon may never think of class assignments in quite the same way again after some recent homework resulted in a personal surprise visit by BYU running back Harvey Unga.

Benjamin's teacher, Michelle Rotar, said that each year she assigns her class to write to a celebrity they admire as a way to teach the students how to write a letter using a business format, and how to correctly address envelopes. Benjamin, a big BYU fan, chose to write to Unga.

“The kids have written to singers, actors, actresses, other sports figures and even religious leaders,” Rotar said. “But we've never had a response quite like this before.”

In his letter, Benjamin introduced himself, then wrote: “I' am typing this because my class is supposed to write to our favorite person, so I chose you! I chose you because: you are a running back, you play for BYU, and you are just naturally awesome! I want to follow in your footsteps and become a running back just like you.”

As part of the assignment, the students were instructed to request a small item, such as an autograph or photo.

“I think that it would be great if you could send me a signed football card or a picture of you,” Benjamin wrote. “But if you can't, I understand that you are busy.”

Benjamin said he was outside during lunchtime when Rotar found him and said, “You have a visitor.”

When her student realized what was happening, Rotar said, “The smile on his face was huge. It was one of my top five teaching moments ever.”

Unga was in the hall, near the drinking fountain, Benjamin said.

When the class began, Rotar had Benjamin introduce Unga, who talked about receiving the letter, and how it made him fell “grateful, loved and appreciated.” The football player apologized for not having a picture of himself, then gave a signed pair of football gloves to Benjamin.

“It was really, really cool,” said Benjamin, recalling the incident with a measure of awe.

Rotar said that after letting others see the gift, her delighted student emptied his pencil box, placed the gloves inside and put a padlock on the box. Unga autographed a sheet of paper, and enough copies were made so that every student in the school who wanted the signature could have one.

Aspen principal Brad Davies said Unga's visit “meant a lot” to both Benjamin and the school.

“I was asked during the day, 'How many collegiate athletes would come out to a school and meet with a student who sent them a letter?'” Davies said. “My response? 'Well, at least one.' And Harvey Unga was so nice to do it.”

Coincidentally, Benjamin's dad, Nathan Diehl, an assistant civil engineer for the BYU campus, happened to encounter Unga at the university the next day, and was able to thank the football star in person for the special visit.

“I think that it's very nice that he went out of his way to go surprise someone,” said Benjamin's mother, Valarie Diehl, who said the event was also a confidence-builder for her son.

“It was a great day—especially for Ben,” Rotar said.

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Harvey Unga Scores 3 TDS As No. 19 BYU Defeat Colorado State 42-23 In MWC Opener

Harvey Unga ran for 113 yards and three touchdowns and No. 19 BYU converted two interceptions and a blocked punt into scores while holding off Colorado State 42-23 Saturday.

Max Hall passed for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Cougars (3-1) won the Mountain West Conference opener one week after getting blown out at home by Florida State.

The Cougars still had some defensive lapses in the second half, but built a 21-0 lead off Colorado State's mistakes in the first quarter.

Hall was 18 for 29 for 241 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Grant Stucker completed 30 of 50 passes for 372 yards and two touchdowns for the Rams (3-1, 0-1), whose six-game winning streak ended.

Colorado State got within 28-17 on a field goal early in the fourth quarter and answered Unga's third TD run with a 13-yard touchdown pass from Strucker to Tyson Liggett to make it 35-23 after the two-point conversion failed. But the Rams could not keep matching BYU to overcome the deficit.

Unga ran for 88 yards in the second half and became the first Cougars player to top 100 yards this season.

The Cougars led 21-0 after the first quarter, needing only a pair of plays on each drive to cover the short distances to the goal.

Colorado State receiver Rashaun Greer tipped both intercepted passes high enough that a defender was easily able to grab it. Brian Logan had the first, leading to Unga's 4-yard touchdown run barely two minutes into the game, then Andrew Rich grabbed the second at the Colorado State 39. Hall threw a 37-yard pass to O'Neill Chambers down the sideline, then Hall faked out everybody with a bootleg and trotted into the end zone with 3:04 left.

The Cougars got the ball right back when Matt Marshall blocked a punt and BYU went up 21-0 on Unga's 5-yard run with 25 seconds left in the first.

Hall's pass to McKay Jacobson for an apparent touchdown was overturned for pass interference called on Dennis Pitta. It was one of 10 BYU penalties called in the game, but Pitta redeemed himself on the next play with a diving catch on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Hall to put BYU up 28-7. It was the first time all day BYU was able to drive any distance, going 82 yards on 10 plays to get the margin back up to three touchdowns.

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