When the Mangisi family moved seven years ago from Bakersfield, California to Provo, Utah one of the reasons for the move was to encourage the children to consider BYU as their college of choice.
Now that dream is a reality for Strantz Mangisi, the newest football recruit to commit to play for BYU (Class of 2023). He announced his commitment yesterday, as reported on Twitter:
🔵⚪️ᴄᴏᴍᴍɪᴛᴛᴇᴅ⚪️🔵
Excited for this new journey with @BYUfootball in the @Big12Conference!!@kalanifsitake pic.twitter.com/b79R44vT9v— Strantz Keala Mangisi (@strantz_mangisi) January 31, 2023
Mangisi is a 6-foot-3 305-pound offensive lineman that preps at Provo High School (Provo, Utah), where he played on the offensive and defensive lines. He has a reported 29-inch vertical, 385 pound bench press, and 550 pound squat (HUDL).
Mangisi holds scholarship offers from Idaho, Idaho State, Missouri State, New Mexico State, and Weber State with preferred walk-on offers to BYU, Utah, and Utah State. He will join BYU as a preferred walk-on.
I caught up with Mangisi to ask him about his recruiting.
BYU Insider: Why did you choose BYU?
Mangisi: BYU has always been a top choice for me. Living just 10 minutes from campus, combined with the connection I felt with the coaching staff while on my official visit led me to feel confident in choosing BYU. I like the coaching staff, and I like Coach Funk’s philosophy. He’s a straight-forward guy and is constantly demanding excellence, which I know will only make me work harder.
BYU Insider: What other schools were showing you love in the recruiting process?
Mangisi: I was 50/50 between Weber State and BYU throughout my recruitment. I received scholarship offers from New Mexico State, Idaho State, Idaho, Missouri State, and Weber State, along with PWO’s to Utah and Utah State.
BYU Insider: What are some of your favorites?
Mangisi: I’ve always been a big Star Wars guy, growing up on the animated series, “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” I love reading autobiographies from athletes, and I enjoy listening to Common Kings and David Rhythm.
BYU Insider: What are some of your accomplishments?
Mangisi: Being able to suit up on each Friday night has been my greatest athletic accomplishment. Having been through multiple season ending injuries, it’s an accomplishment to me to just be able to play. I’m so incredibly grateful each time I put on the pads, as I never know when it could be my last.
Being able to have friends and family be proud of who I’ve become and what I’ve accomplished has been my greatest accomplishment in life, thus far. It’s been my goal to make every fan of me proud, not just of what I do on the field but especially off the field.
BYU Insider: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
Mangisi: “You either win, or learn.” My dad told me this a while back as I was facing adversity. I lost most of my reps at a 1 on 1’s tournament, and even ended up having a posterior labrum tear. Although I know this isn’t his quote, it’s been something that I force myself to think of each time I don’t win.
BYU Insider: Who is a current player that you seek to emulate on the field?
Mangisi: My favorite players are all people that I’ve been able to learn from and better my own craft. Taylor Lewan (Tackle, Tennessee Titans) put out a video on the fundamentals of pass protection, and that’s what I used to learn during my freshman year. I trained with Penei Sewell (Tackle, Detroit Lions) before my sophomore season and learned a lot from him. Former BYU center James Empey is one of my favorite players due to his high football IQ. I worked with him a little before my junior season to better learn mid zone and improve my pass protection.
