Cal Poly football lands ‘true anchor’ in River City’s Ngaluafe
WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BVM) – Each of first-year Cal Poly head football coach Beau Baldwin’s 13 recruits for the Class of 2021 are from California.
One of whom is River City High School’s Joshua Ngaluafe, a two-way lineman who also doubles as a rugby athlete. The 6-foot-2, 340-pound Ngaluafe notched 30 tackles, four sacks and an interception as a junior, while also anchoring the Raiders’ offensive line, spending time at both guard and tackle.
This versatility is a major reason for excitement on the behalf of Baldwin.
“He’s (Ngaluafe) a true anchor nose tackle and also played on the offensive line as well,” Baldwin said in a press release. “He’s very versatile, a big man who can move and run. The athleticism he shows for his size is something you can’t teach and don’t find very often.
— Joshua Ngaluafe🇹🇴 (@JNgaluafe) April 20, 2021
“He also showed his athleticism and versatility by playing rugby. That says a lot about a 310-pound defensive lineman who also plays rugby. The pieces that he brings together are really quite unique and we’re excited about him.”
Ngaluafe even impressed as a sophomore, racking up 31 tackles, 5.5 sacks and a forced fumble during an All-Metropolitan League season. His ability to impact the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball is a welcomed addition to a Cal Poly squad that finished just 3-8 in 2019 before having its 2020 season canceled.
Assistant coach James Montgomery – who knows a thing or two about elite lineman after running behind great ones in the Pac-12 (Cal, Washington State) – believes the River City big man fits the direction of this new coaching staff and offensive scheme.
“Josh is a big defensive lineman, nasty, plays at about 330 pounds but has light feet, is really physical, aggressive and really good in the classroom,” Montgomery said in a press release. “We project him as a multi-position guy, an interior offensive line or defensive line guy. In our transition offensively, we’re getting bigger and longer bodies and we did a good job picking up some length and big, long bodies with guys like Ngaluafe, (Jake) Trachtman and (Campbell) McHarg.”
Signed, sealed, delivered, he's a Mustang! Please welcome @JNgaluafe to Cal Poly!#RideHigh | #NSD21 pic.twitter.com/kVrhjy4WG5
— Cal Poly Football (@calpolyfootball) December 16, 2020
