Laekin Vakalahi (born 28 January 2003) is a New Zealand-born, Australian professional American football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) and former rugby league player.

Early life

He was born in Auckland, New Zealand and played junior rugby league in Brisbane for the Ormeau Shearers. He later moved to Melbourne where he played basketball.[2] After a chance encounter in Hawaii with his family and Bill Carey, a friend of Philadelphia Eagles international scout Chris Naeole who was impressed by his 35-inch arms 83–inch wingspan. He was given an official try-out and he began to train at Conquest Athletic Performance in Australia, previously used by Baltimore Ravens' Daniel Faalele.[3][4][5][6]

Career

After completing a six-week training camp, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles in May 2024 on a three-year international development contract.[2][5][6] In pre-season in 2024 he played left tackle.[7]

Personal life

His parents are Frank and Mary Vakalahi. He has four siblings, including a younger brother Kobe Vakalahi. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he spent two years completing his mission service in Wellington, New Zealand prior to 2024.[8][2][5] He has New Zealand citizenship.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Laekin Vakalahi". Fox Sports. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Horesh, Laurence (3 May 2024). "Eagles at it again, sign raw 300-pound Aussie Laekin Vakalahi". ESPN. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  3. ^ McMullen, John (8 June 2024). "Why Can't Lightning Strike Twice With The Eagles?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  4. ^ Kramer, Kelsey (6 May 2024). "Eagles' latest signing Laekin Vakalahi is Jordan Mailata 2.0". AtoZsports.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Philadelphia Eagle Soars as He Puts the Lord First". Pacific.churchofjesuschrist.org. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Dayal, Zion (16 May 2024). "How a dad's trip to Hawaii got his son signed to the NFL". 1news.co.nz. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  7. ^ Zangaro, Dave (28 August 2024). "Eagles practice squad tracker 2024: Filling out the 17-man squad". nbcsportsphikadelphia. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
  8. ^ "NFL player attends general conference with his family from Australia". The Church. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laekin_Vakalahi
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