Raphael Longangu is a junior from Euless, Texas. He came to Utah to play football as a tight end for Weber State University. When asked about his journey along the way, Longangu had a lot to say.

“One of my best years here playing football was my freshman year. Things started falling into place, and my performance to the coaches and my teammates was proving it. During my sophomore year, I pulled my hamstring, which took me out of all fall camp. For those who don’t understand how important fall camp is to a player, it is where you get to show all your skills and techniques to earn your spot on the field during game time. I looked at this injury as a setback for myself. I played on special teams throughout the rest of the season. During my junior year, I tore my MCL (medial collateral ligament). I was out all season, left with nothing to do except wait for my knee to heal. I remember telling myself everything was going to be okay, but I found myself getting frustrated and disappointed the more I thought about the injury. The most frustrating thing about this whole experience was knowing my teammates, Andrew Vollert, Tui Satuala, and I were exceeding expectations as tight ends during fall camp. What hurt the most was knowing how good of a season my team was having, and I was unable to contribute to any of the team’s success.”

After a stressful season, with thoughts of giving up, Longangu is back on the field and could not be happier to be playing with his teammates. He hopes to have an outstanding performance to make up for lost time, and he isn’t letting anything or anyone get in his way.