Noa's Arc: Huskies' Ngalu Wants to Stop Runners — and Be One
Noa Ngalu, same as his biblical namesake, is responsible for bringing two of everything to the University of Washington football roster.
Last season, he showed up in Seattle as a touted freshman defensive tackle, accompanied by his close friend and fellow schoolboy defender, equally promising linebacker Daniel Heimuli.
Two of everything.
They were a pair of Menlo-Atherton High School defensive standouts from East Palo Alto, California, a town they affectionately refer to as EPA.
Not so obvious was the other package deal that Ngalu (pronounced Nah-Loo) brings to Jimmy Lake's program.
While enthusiastic in his defensive abilities, deep inside this 6-foot-1, 290-pound football player is a running back screaming to be let out.
Two of everything.
Hey, former UW D-line standout Vita Vea got tackled with the ball nearly as much as he tackled people at his Bay Area high school.
Ngalu would love to run the football regularly, a passion that dates back to his days as a young rugby player.
"I miss rugby a lot," he said. "Everybody gets the ball in rugby — even the big boys."
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At Menlo-Atherton, Ngalu occasionally took handoffs on offense and got turned loose. Iowa State recruiters wanted him after seeing him hurdle a would-be tackler on his high school highlight tape.
Ngalu finally showed off his long-distance running ability on defense when he picked up a fumble and lumbered 65 yards for a touchdown.
"Running back is my favorite position," he said.
He might dream of offensive glory, but the Huskies see him knocking down helpless running backs as part of a class of elite linemen signed all at once. He came in with Sama Paama, Jacob Bandes and Faatui Tuitele, choosing the UW over the Arizona schools, Colorado, Utah and Illinois.
The Huskies left it up to Ngalu to convince Heimuli, a four-star linebacker to ignore the advances of Alabama and others and join him at the UW. It was almost a foregone conclusion they would play together collegiately after leading Menlo-Atherton to a state championship.
"We're a combo," said Heimuli as they sat together when he revealed his college choice. "Wherever he's at, I'm at."
Ngalu appeared in a pair of Husky games in 2019, in the opener against Eastern Washington and in the season finale against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Again, two of everything.
He's ready for more than that.
SUMMARY: Like the others in his golden group of D-linemen, Ngalu was asked to spend the year getting stronger. He received only a taste on game day, to preserve four years of college eligibility.
GRADE (1 to 5): Ngalu gets a 3. He's untested but ready to spend time on the field on Saturdays with his buddy Heimuli. Two of everything.
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