Nikau Hepi signs with Auburn in historic NFL pathway
Nikau Hepi is only 18-years old but already weighs as much as Aussie Super Bowl Champion and Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata.
The 165 kilogram teen, who is 204 centimetres tall, has also just made history as the first prospect from the Gold Coast's NFL Academy to commit to an NCAA division one college.
After rejecting four other division one offers, Hepi will now join Auburn University's college football program as the first step on his journey to the NFL.
Born in New Zealand before moving to Australia, Hepi has grown up playing rugby league and even attended NRL talent factory Keebra Park State High School.
Despite his minimal exposure to American football, Hepi, who will train with Auburn as an offensive tackle, has excelled since joining the academy's elite development program 10 months ago.
'For a big guy, he has an exceptional first step and explosion,' Will Bryce, Head of the NFL Academy said.
'He is very powerful, and in our sport from snapping the ball and starting the play to a tackle being made can be anywhere between 5-7 seconds, so for someone of his size but with the power and the fact he is fast over a short distance … he can do that at a very, very high level.'
'He's also got really long arms which is very important for our sport.'
'His DNA and how he is built leans far more favourably to American football than what he was being asked to do on a rugby league field.
Bryce has a keen eye for talent.
The recruiter played a key role in Mailata's journey to the NFL, helping the Bankstown Bulls junior secure a place in the NFL's International Pathway Program.
Bryce believes the NFL Academy is giving teen athletes in the region, that would otherwise 'size out' of rugby league and union pathways, a chance to keep playing professional sport.
'There's only so many players that can play rugby league or union at a higher level because of the amount of running,' Bryce said.
'If you look at our boys, none of them are small. They are almost too big and sizing out their original sporting pathway because they don't look like the normal type of player expected.
'American football can accommodate bigger athletes in a way that other sports simply cannot.'
Since opening its doors in September last year, the academy is now home to nine future NFL hopefuls.
Already, every prospect from the 2024 cohort of athletes has received an initial offer from University of South Florida, another division one school.
The offers can only be officially accepted once a prospect is in their final year of high school and has met the academic and athletic criteria set by the college.
But Hepi isn't the only youngster making waves in college football scouting circles.
Riki Siaoloa's explosive power and physicality has caught the attention of American scouts, leading to three division one offers from Liberty University, University of South Florida and Kennesaw State University. — Teauariki Siaoloa (@rikinflacademy) May 18, 2025
The 16-year old is also part of the Queensland Reds pathways program.
Other hopefuls like Victorian product Zarius Matavao, who tips the scale at 127 kilograms, has walked away from the Melbourne Storm junior system in the hope of one day emulating the feats of Mailata.
While the academy does not guarantee NFL success, it has opened the door for young athletes in the region to take the more traditional route to the NFL through college football.
Each athlete is hand picked on the basis of a strict physical and athletic criteria.
'For each position you have a range that you want a player to be in, whether that's their height, how much they weigh, how big their hands are, how long their arm is, their swing span, how far they can jump … all these things really matter in American football,' Bryce said.
'We are taking NFL metrics for the different positions and applying that for this age group.
'That puts our academy players in a favourable position when scouts or recruiters from colleges in America are looking at them.
Fatima Kdouh is a rugby league reporter and SuperCoach presenter. She joined News Corp after walking away from a career in investment banking to pursue her dream job of becoming a sports journalist. Since joining News Corp, Fatima has worked for Sky News, Sky News Business, Fox Sports Australia and now calls The Daily Telegraph, and CODE Sports, home - where she is carving out a reputation for herself in one of the toughest and most competitive reporting gigs in the country, the NRL round. US Sports
Taylor Swift, global pop icon and NFL nuffie? Yes, she's dating the 'guy on the Chiefs' and she's upped her sports game. Oh, and she announced her 12th album on Travis' podcast. So what does she know about sport? We listened so you don't have to. US Sports
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