BIG MAN IN THE MIDDLE
4/26/2021 2:29:00 PM | Football
Apu Ika Gives Bears a ‘True Nose’ in 3-4 Defense
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Siaki "Apu" Ika was so big in pee-wee football that his parents, Falakesi Kiola and Selu Loiola, had to bring his birth certificate to every game.
"Every week, it was, 'Is he really 9? Is he really 12?' Yeah, I am. I'm just very large," said the 6-foot-4, 350-pound Ika, a sophomore transfer from LSU who was brought in as a true nose tackle in the Baylor defense's 3-4 alignment. "For the weigh-ins, they'd put 'X' for the linemen. So, it was like, 'OK, we'll put his weight down just to say we did it,' but everyone knew I was not going to run the ball."
No, but he can sure stop whoever tries.
"That's a force," senior running back/linebacker Abram Smith said after Saturday's Green & Gold Game. "I ran into him today. He shot the A (gap) and hit me in the backfield, and I couldn't get away."
Sophomore Qualan Jones had the same experience, getting dropped in the end zone for a safety, at least five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
"I love Apu and his energy, I love his smile, I love his heart," said Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, LSU's defensive coordinator in 2019, when Ika played in 13 of 15 games for the national champions, registering 17 tackles and 1.5 stops behind the line.
Aranda and defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, who also came from LSU, were big reasons why Ika picked Baylor after he entered his name in the transfer portal following the 2020 season.
"I knew I wanted to go somewhere where I fit best," he said. "Considering that Coach Aranda and Coach Johnson recruited me out of high school, and I played in the system, I felt like I fit well. I felt like it was meant to be, and it all worked out."
After having to "mix and match guys who were out of position sometimes," Johnson said Ika gives the Bears "the body type we want at that position. So, he offers us everything we need at the nose position."
"Every practice, his stride is coming along," Johnson said. "You can start seeing his footwork come and his hands, all of those things. There's an art to it. Even though you're big, you've got to play with technique. He's learning that every day and is coming along pretty well."
Apu's quick first step can leave offensive linemen grabbing for air, because "you don't see that in a lot of big dudes," he said.
"Being able to trust my feet, being light on my feet, has always been my thing," said Ika, a four-star recruit out of East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, who held coast-to-coast offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and USC. "(At the nose position), your job is to eat up two blocks, pretty much a space eater. I like to be a spacer eater but still being able to make plays."
In second-year defensive coordinator Ron Roberts' defensive scheme, "having a guy that's just a mismatch at nose is huge," Aranda said. "You saw some of it today, we have a hard time handling Apu."
The new guy on the block on a defense that returns 10 starters, Ika said the other players on the team have "welcomed me with open arms."
"Right from the start, they were excited to have me," he said. "Whe I committed here, I had guys on the team (direct message) me on Instagram and guys get my number from the coaches and text me to say how excited they are to have me. For someone who goes through the transfer portal, that gives you a good feeling and excited to be a part of the place where you are."
Then again, he's just an easy guy to like.
"Apu has a great heart, man," Aranda said. "We had our Standard Awards, and he shows up like straight out of Scarface or something. It's just really cool to be around him. I missed him, because Apu has always been like that. And I think the guys are taking to him."
Baylor wrapped up its 15-practice spring drills with Saturday's Green & Gold Game. The Bears will kick off the 2021 season Sept. 4 at Texas State and will host seven home games, including BYU, Texas and Oklahoma.
For ticket information, go to the 2021 Baylor Football Tickets link.
Baylor Bear Insider
Siaki "Apu" Ika was so big in pee-wee football that his parents, Falakesi Kiola and Selu Loiola, had to bring his birth certificate to every game.
"Every week, it was, 'Is he really 9? Is he really 12?' Yeah, I am. I'm just very large," said the 6-foot-4, 350-pound Ika, a sophomore transfer from LSU who was brought in as a true nose tackle in the Baylor defense's 3-4 alignment. "For the weigh-ins, they'd put 'X' for the linemen. So, it was like, 'OK, we'll put his weight down just to say we did it,' but everyone knew I was not going to run the ball."
No, but he can sure stop whoever tries.
"That's a force," senior running back/linebacker Abram Smith said after Saturday's Green & Gold Game. "I ran into him today. He shot the A (gap) and hit me in the backfield, and I couldn't get away."
Sophomore Qualan Jones had the same experience, getting dropped in the end zone for a safety, at least five yards behind the line of scrimmage.
"I love Apu and his energy, I love his smile, I love his heart," said Baylor head coach Dave Aranda, LSU's defensive coordinator in 2019, when Ika played in 13 of 15 games for the national champions, registering 17 tackles and 1.5 stops behind the line.
Aranda and defensive line coach Dennis Johnson, who also came from LSU, were big reasons why Ika picked Baylor after he entered his name in the transfer portal following the 2020 season.
"I knew I wanted to go somewhere where I fit best," he said. "Considering that Coach Aranda and Coach Johnson recruited me out of high school, and I played in the system, I felt like I fit well. I felt like it was meant to be, and it all worked out."
After having to "mix and match guys who were out of position sometimes," Johnson said Ika gives the Bears "the body type we want at that position. So, he offers us everything we need at the nose position."
"Every practice, his stride is coming along," Johnson said. "You can start seeing his footwork come and his hands, all of those things. There's an art to it. Even though you're big, you've got to play with technique. He's learning that every day and is coming along pretty well."
Apu's quick first step can leave offensive linemen grabbing for air, because "you don't see that in a lot of big dudes," he said.
"Being able to trust my feet, being light on my feet, has always been my thing," said Ika, a four-star recruit out of East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, who held coast-to-coast offers from the likes of Alabama, Florida, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and USC. "(At the nose position), your job is to eat up two blocks, pretty much a space eater. I like to be a spacer eater but still being able to make plays."
In second-year defensive coordinator Ron Roberts' defensive scheme, "having a guy that's just a mismatch at nose is huge," Aranda said. "You saw some of it today, we have a hard time handling Apu."
The new guy on the block on a defense that returns 10 starters, Ika said the other players on the team have "welcomed me with open arms."
"Right from the start, they were excited to have me," he said. "Whe I committed here, I had guys on the team (direct message) me on Instagram and guys get my number from the coaches and text me to say how excited they are to have me. For someone who goes through the transfer portal, that gives you a good feeling and excited to be a part of the place where you are."
Then again, he's just an easy guy to like.
"Apu has a great heart, man," Aranda said. "We had our Standard Awards, and he shows up like straight out of Scarface or something. It's just really cool to be around him. I missed him, because Apu has always been like that. And I think the guys are taking to him."
Baylor wrapped up its 15-practice spring drills with Saturday's Green & Gold Game. The Bears will kick off the 2021 season Sept. 4 at Texas State and will host seven home games, including BYU, Texas and Oklahoma.
For ticket information, go to the 2021 Baylor Football Tickets link.
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