Broadneck All-Metro linebacker Ali'i Niumatalolo committed to Boise State just three weeks ago, but he will defer enrollment until returning from his service as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2018, according to an article from The Baltimore Sun published Nov. 11.
In the article, Niumatalolo's current football coach, Rob Harris, called him a "relentless player" who has "passion" and "energy."
Regardless of his passion for the sport, Niumatalolo will put football on the back burner for two years.
However, he plans to filter that same work ethic and focus into his mission.
"I'm just not worried about college football at all those two years," Niumatalolo told The Baltimore Sun. "I'm just worried about serving the Lord and my mission. It's my two years in my life to fully dedicate to the Lord and my service. I'll just let it fall into place as it does."
Niumatalolo is the son of Ken Niumatalolo, a former University of Hawaii quarterback and the current head football coach for the U.S. Naval Academy. The Niumatalolo family was featured in the 2014 documentary "Meet the Mormons." His brother, Va'a Niumatalolo, is a sophomore linebacker at BYU who served a mission in St. George, Utah.
Mormon Newsroom tweeted about the article Monday.
Read The Baltimore Sun's full article here.
Alex Johnson writes for the Faith and Family sections of DeseretNews.com.
Email: ajohnson@deseretdigital.com
Twitter: @axelrad_