George "Leki" Fotu (born August 23, 1998) is an American professional football nose tackle. He played college football for the Utah Utes and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft. He previously played for the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, and Houston Texans
Early life Fotu played high school rugby and high school football at Herriman High School, playing defensive end and sporadic tight end. His team won the Utah 5A state championship his senior season. A 2-star defensive end recruit, Fotu committed to Utah on September 20, 2015, choosing the Utes over offers from BYU, Oklahoma State, and USC.
College career After his sophomore season, Utah coaches considered moving Fotu from defensive end to offensive tackle, but Fotu instead moved to defensive tackle and claimed the starting spot at that position. At the end of his junior season, Fotu was named first-team all-Pac-12 Conference.
Before his senior season, Fotu was named a preseason All-American by ESPN. During the season, after a game against Cal, Fotu was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week after recording a 13-yard sack. He was named second-team midseason All-American by the Associated Press.
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals Fotu was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round with the 114th overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft. He was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury on November 14, 2020, and activated on December 5, 2020. In Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Fotu recorded his first career sack on fellow rookie Jalen Hurts during the 33–26 win.
Fotu entered the 2021 season as the backup nose tackle for the Cardinals. He played in 17 games with three starts, recording 19 tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble.
New York Jets On March 14, 2024, Fotu signed with the New York Jets. He was placed on injured reserve on August 27. He was activated on October 14, but placed on injured reserve again on October 31.
Las Vegas Raiders On March 25, 2025, Fotu signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. He played in six games before being released on December 16.
Houston Texans On December 23, 2025, the Houston Texans signed Fotu to their practice squad.
New York Giants On April 29, 2026, the New York Giants signed Fotu to a one-year contract. He was released on August 29.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2020 ARI 11 0 11 6 5 1.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2021 ARI 17 3 19 8 11 0.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 2022 ARI 17 9 31 13 18 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2023 ARI 11 9 28 15 13 2.5 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2024 NYJ 2 1 3 1 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2025 LV 6 4 8 3 5 1.0 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 HOU 2 0 3 0 3 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 66 26 103 46 57 4.5 15 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 0 1 0 0
Postseason Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2021 ARI 1 0 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2025 HOU 2 0 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 3 0 2 0 2 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Personal life Three of Fotu's brothers have also played college football. Before focusing on football, Fotu also played rugby. Both of Fotu's parents were born in Tonga, but moved to America before Leki was born.
References
External links New York Giants bio Utah Utes bio