Great Article on a Great Young Man: '14 DT Bryan Mone

Grown ass man, indeed.

"But off the field, "mean and nasty" doesn’t really describe Bryan. He’s a 3.3 GPA student, according to Benson. He’s a churchgoing kid. He sometimes has his teammates come over when he’s babysitting his brother, and they watch him care for Filimone unashamed." 

6'-4", 320 lbs: described as a leader who is mean and nasty on the field, but a grown ass man in every possible way.  

This is a guy that will be easy to root for.  

Loving The Pattern™

It's so easy to root for this team these days. Even more than the success on the field, I love the type of men that Hoke is bringing in and the culture he is helping shape.

wish him all the best and this is just another example of the type of player/person Brady goes after.  High class kid.

Good luck to him

GO BLUE...Hail

This will be a story on College Gameday Saturday morning in the next couple years. A really moving story.

Great post by a great old man.

I continue to be amazed at the quality of kids this coaching staff has managed to bring in.  Mone is going to be a great ambassador of our school.

Definitely a possible future favorite player...His brother's condition reminds me of my cousin's son's condition, though they aren't identical.  I don't mind admitting to being touched by that article.

I'm in awe of this young man for the sacrifices he's had to go thru already!  What a true testimony to his character!!!!  I wish him the best in life, not just football!!!!  If I had a daughter, I'd want this man to be my son-in-law!!!!!  :)  and  o 

That was a great article. Wonderful read on a day that is already shaping up to be kinda frustrating. Thanks!

Side question: Is Mone Fijian or Tongan? His father is a Tongan pastor and the article said something about them probably staying in Tonga if it weren't for Bryan's brother. But it also said that they moved from Fiji. Just curious.

Even sidier question: is there a big Pacific Islander population in Utah? Between Mone, Houma, and Ngata, there seem to be a number of big Polynesians hanging out in the salt flats. And if so, why?

Wow. Incredible young man and future Michigan Man no doubt. Thanks for posting this story, nice to read something like this in contrast to most of the news stories these day.

I suspect he will discover that he chose the right place to go to school. I suspect we'll be seeing a few more dusty articles. 

I wasn't familiar with the backstory of his brother, very sad... makes all of life's petty problems and BS seem rather unimportant.  Best wishes to the family and I hope Bryan goes on to great things and is able to help provide the best possible quality of life for Filimone.

If this is the type of kid were recruiting to Michigan, then this staff is well on its way to creating something truly special in AA.

Thanks so much for posting this . . . great read, great insight into a great young man.

I also am a PK, now a pastor, and I sadly appreciate some of the experiences he has gone through. What an inspiration, in how he has cared for and loved his brother, and in how he and his family have weathered the storm.

While Mone is great, I also am absolutely thrilled with the culture of the kids Hoke, Borges, Mattison, et al are bringing in. While I can't predict exactly what someone like Da'Shawn Hand will do and where he ends up for college, I believe that he and his family are strongly attracted to kids like Mone and attracted to coaches like Mattison and Hoke. Conversely, there are some players at some of our rival schools who are extremely talented in terms of football, but less of a good fit in terms of the team. Hoke strikes an awesome balance between having fun, not taking yourself too seriously, but also being of high character and doing things the right way.

Wonderful and touching story of a young man showing remarkable maturity and humility.

I sit here very much humbled by the comparison to my own existence.

There is a relationship -- subtle, and utterly lost on some who posted on the other thread about post-game handshakes -- between intensity on the field and mature respectfulness off the field.  This young man Bryan Mone appears to exemplify the balance.

I've been in the professional world 30+ years now, and there's one characteristic I see in successful people ... young or old, male or female -- a strong, competitive nature tempered by a quiet sense of respectfulness.  These people can sit quietly in a meeting listening to the various sides of an argument, and with a single sentence can hush the room and bring things to a conclusion.  That combination opens doors and gets results.  Brash arrogance achieves results only temporarily; eventually the enemies it creates organize against it.

I'm touched by Bryan Mone's dedication to his brother.  I am happy such young men exist. I'm happy Bryan Mone is coming to Michigan.  I'm happy Brady Hoke values such young men.

after reading that. Im surprised he is going to school so far away from his family.

Go blue and best wishes to his family.

I think Mone is going to vastly exceed the little amount of hype he gets. He's so off-the-radar but seems like a great guy and a great player. I wouldn't be surprised to see him being a captain and/or All-Conference guy down the road

First and foremost, thanks for sharing this.

This was a wonderful and touching read and an incredible insight into Bryan Mone's life. It would be incredibly difficult not to root for this kid in all that he does on and off the field. His dedication to his family is incredible as well - I wish nothing but the best for Bryan and his family. He comes to Ann Arbor already a winner by most measures, I would say. 

Every day I'm so proud of the way Coach Hoke and the staff is running this program.  They're bringing in only high character kids like Bryan.  This is the ONLY way to build a successful, long-term elite program IMO.  Good people want to hang around other good people.  I'm sure Coach Hoke has said No Thanks to quite a few really good players because he just didn't like what he saw.  I wish Bryan Mone and his family the best of life and welcome him as a new Michigan Man.

I didnt know much about Hoke before the hire. One thing is for certain, he's a man of character and is recruiting players that fit that mold.

Simply amazing.

Best attitude for anyone of any age.

"It reminds me to live my life to the fullest," Bryan said. "I have to do it for my brother."

He's the type of person you route even harder for, on and off the field.   

Kid doesn't exactly have the best home situation and still doesn't bring an ounce of attention to himself.... That is exactly the type of kid that you want to see succeed. 

The forgotten 5* recruit of the class, in my opinion.

I honestly think if he's an uncommitted kid in Georgia, Texas, Florida, California... Hell, even Virginia or Ohio... he's a 5 Star.

What a great young man.  I will be pulling hard for him over the next few years....and after that too.

I hope to watch him someday shaking Roger Goodell's hand as a high draft choice who recently graduated from Michigan.

Next to Peppers, Mone is the recruit I'm most excited for in 2014.  I have a feeling we're going to see some great things from him on, and off, the field.

I'm glad all of the kids on our team are better human beings than I was at their age...

Thank you for posting.  I know it sometimes seems we, as sports fans, are, in the words of Jerry Seinfeld, simply cheering for laundry.  Bryan Mone is worth cheering for, as a person first, and as a football player second.

I really like that his sister said if he makes it to the NFL but isn't a good person that the family won't be proud of Bryan. Another recruit with solid character and values in the face of (or is it because of?) a difficult situation at home. I wanted a direct quote but I think we've crashed the Salt Lake Tribune's website!

WOW.

I am a permanent Bryan Mone fan.  What a touching story.  I am so glad we are recruiting guys like this.