Being first to the table helped Montana State ensure Danny Uluilakepa made the Bobcats his final choice.
MSU linebackers coach Bobby Daly and head coach Jeff Choate first started recruiting the 6-foot-1, 210-pound inside linebacker during the spring of Uluilakepa junior year. By March, the Bobcats extended the all-state talent from Puyallup, Washington his first scholarship offer.
As a senior, Uluilakepa lit up Western Washington, sprinting and hitting his way to a state-leading 174 total tackles and averaging 14 tackles per game. He earned 4A South Puget Sound League defensive MVP honors and a slew of scholarship offers from around the country.
Utah State and Air Force of the Mountain West offered the athletic, productive inside linebacker. So did Big Sky Conference members Montana, Idaho and UC Davis. Even elite academic institutions like Columbia of the Ivy League and Georgetown on the other side of the country recruited Uluilakepa.
[restrict paid=”true”]
“The fact that they offered first, it made me know they were the first ones who wanted me,” said Uluilakepa, who committed to Montana State on November 1 and signed with the Bobcats on December 22. “That was big.
“I had quite a few offers but Montana State felt like home. The coaches were my favorite. They were so welcoming.”
Uluilakepa’s father, Taki, grew up playing rugby and Brazilian jujitsu in Tonga. The father first started the son in football in second grade. Danny fell in love with the sport right away. As Choate said during his press conference on the first day of the early signing period, “the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
As Danny has progressed, he’s reached a level of exposure where a great many people have the same question: how do you pronounce the family’s Tongan last name?
The answer: OO-Louie-Ah-kay-pa
“We will all be able to pronounce this guy’s name by the time it’s all said and done, I can tell you that,” Choate said.
“This guy plays with an edge, he is physical, he is intense and he is going to be a force in this conference and in this program for a few more years down the line.”
Uluilakepa showed exactly that on an impressive highlight tape that displays an aggressive player with an elite trigger and the ability to hit far above his weight class. Uluilakepa started earning significant recruiting interest after leading the state in tackles for the first time with 182 as a junior. He also had 14 tackles for loss, a sack and four interceptions in the fall of 2018.
He came to Bozeman for the first time on an unofficial visit last June. He returned for his official visit to watch Montana State’s 38-17 win over No. 12 Southeast Missouri State in the annual “Gold Rush” game.
“It was packed and it was crazy,” Uluilakepa said.
“I took my unofficial visit during the summer and I loved it. I loved the campus and all the coaches. They were all super nice to me. And talking to some of the guys, they were cool. The way it made me feel, I know I made the right choice.”
When he returned to the football field, Uluilakepa went back to work on a second straight all-state and third straight all-league season. He finished his senior year with 174 tackles, 55 solo tackles, six sacks, eight tackles for loss and four picks. He also scored three total touchdowns. Puyallup finished 10-2 with a berth in the quarterfinals of the Washington 4A playoffs on the line.
“He has great spirit, great energy, the kind of guy you want to coach,” Choate said. “He is for sure the right Cat. I can’t wait to turn him loose on this league. He was a big get for us. Coach Daly did a great job of developing a strong relationship with this young man.”
Daly himself was an undersized yet hyper productive linebacker at Montana State. He earned All-American honors in 2007 and 2008, ranking among the leading tacklers in the nation both seasons.
Daly spent the last decade at first coaching high school football, then serving as the director of operations at Idaho before moving into the coaching ranks as a linebackers coach for the Vandals. Daly returned to his alma mater to coach linebackers last off-season after six seasons in Moscow.
When recruiting Uluilakepa, Daly sold the prospect on his own experience at Montana State. Daly and the MSU staff also sold Uluilakepa on Montana State’s top notch business school.
“I like the business program,” Uluilakepa said. “I went to visit the business school when I was in town. And I liked the coaches a lot. Coach Daly, that’s my guy.”
“He told me how successful he was and all the awards he captured and I want to be like that.”
Uluilakepa is a prototype when it comes to inside linebackers in 3-4 defenses in modern-day football. From the NFL through the Pac 12 to the Big Sky, teams are favoring athletic players with the ability to fly sideline to sideline while also helping in pass coverage more than the bulking, run-stopping inside linebackers that have trademarked most of football’s history.
The newest Bobcat inside linebacker said he is comfortable playing outside or inside linebacker and he’s comfortable playing in odd or even-man front defenses. He said playing inside “helps me use my speed”, which is certainly one of Uluilakepa best assets.
Uluilakepa highlight film
During spring recruiting, Uluilakepa said a Montana assistant coach came to his practice once but the recruitment was never that intense. He went on an official visit to Eastern Washington, but the Eagles never made a solid offer. He made unofficial visits to Washington, Washington State and Utah of the Pac 12 as well.
Ultimately, Choate and his staff is what sold Uluilakepa on spending his next years in Bozeman.
“Coach Choate always talks about how he wants to keep it going up and I’m hoping I can help,” Uluilakepa said. “I was excited watching them in the playoffs and that the team was doing super good as well.
“It was a big relief knowing I could help us out in that way. I want to come in and help the football program, leave an impact on campus and be a part of the family.”
[/restrict]
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or courtesy of Uluilakepa family. All Rights Reserved.
