Haloti Ngata was born in Inglewood, California in 1984. He grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah where he attended Highland High school. He was a three year starter at Highland who led his team to a 12-2 record and a state championship appearance as a junior before losing in the quarterfinals his senior year. As a senior, Ngata recorded over 100 tackles and 30 sacks on his way to being named player of the year for the state of Utah. In addition to being a dominating defensive tackle, Ngata was also an all-state guard on the offensive side of the ball. Not only was he an excellent football player, but Haloti also was a member of the wrestling team and led the school’s rugby team to a state championship, although he was thrown out of the championship game for unnecessary roughness. He was one of the best high school rugby players in the country and could’ve gone pro but he decided he had a better future in football. Despite staying extremely busy in school with all his athletic commitments, Ngata still managed to take care of business in the classroom, maintaining a 3.4 grade point average. He was considered to be one of the top five players and the top defensive tackle prospect in the country. He originally committed to Nebraska, but he later broke that commitment when coaches wouldn’t guarantee he would be released from the team if he needed to go on a morman mission. He committed to BYU, a church owned school that he and his parents were big fans of, but he broke that commitment on signing day, opting to attend the University of Oregon instead. His signing was considered by many to be one of the biggest signings in the history of Oregon football. He found himself a second home in Oregon, sharing a house with seven guys, including six other Polynesian members of the football team. By the fifth game of his freshman season, Ngata had earned a starting job and already began to make an impact. He finished the season with 44 tackles and 3 ½ sacks on his way to being presented the Len Casanova award for being the teams best new player. During the first game of his sophomore year against Mississippi State, Haloti tore his ACL in punt coverage, effectively ending his season. He took a medical redshirt and rehabbed his knee five hours a day. He missed spring practice the following year due to the injury and wasn’t at full strength until halfway through the season. He had another excellent season with 46 tackles and 3 ½ sacks and was named 2nd team all-conference for his efforts. Since he had been out of high school three years, Ngata had a chance to enter the NFL draft after the 2004 season and could’ve been a first round pick. However he decided to return to Oregon for his junior year. He wanted to finish his degree in honor of his father, Solomone Ngata who never finished high school and was killed in a trucking accident in December 2002. Ngata comes from a Polynesian family and is very close to them. He has three brothers and one sister. His mother Olga, who works for Southwest airlines, moved to Phoenix, Arizona after the death of her husband. Haloti has been dating Christine Adams since high school and plans to marry her sometime after signing his first NFL contract. He enjoys playing the piano, video games, boating, bowling, and watching “Animal Planet”. He and his roommates have a pit bull named China.

Haloti Ngata has an excellent combination of size, strength, and athleticism for a defensive tackle. At 6-5, 338 pounds, Ngata has been timed as fast as 4.84 in the 40 and has impressive strength numbers of: 407 lbs power clean, 505 lbs bench press, and 585 lbs squat. He has a very quick first step which allows him to beat most offensive linemen off the snap of the ball. He uses his strength to overpower opposing offensive linemen and will push them all the way back into the quarterback if that is his only option. He has excellent balance and is very skilled at defeating the cut block. Once he penetrates the line, he has the ability to chase down the quarterback and make plays behind the line of scrimmage. He is extremely difficult to block--More often than not teams will be forced to double or even triple team him, which frees up his teammates to make plays. He has a non-stop motor and doesn’t wear down towards the end of the game as much as most defensive linemen his size do. He is an intelligent player and has proven to be an excellent leader both on and off the field. He has the ability to be a difference maker not only on defense but on special teams as well—he blocked three kicks in 2002 and two more during the 2004 season. The biggest question when it comes to Ngata is going to be his knee. He made a full recovery and believes his surgically repaired knee is now stronger than his uninjured knee, but this is something NFL teams will check out before investing a high draft pick on him. Ngata is a player that can make an immediate impact in the NFL. He has a chance to be a top 10 pick and the first defensive lineman selected if he declares for the 2006 NFL draft.