NEW ORLEANS — Kingsley Suamataia has been surrounded by good, talented athletes throughout his life.
There’s been cousins and teammates who made it to the professional ranks in football.
He married a star athlete, too — his wife, Nani Falatea, played basketball at BYU before transferring to Oregon this season.
Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”
Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.
And now, Suamataia, the former Cougars left tackle, is surrounded by some of the best talent in the game as he finishes up his first season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Suamataia may end up winning a Super Bowl ring, if the Chiefs beat the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday (4:30 p.m. MST, Fox) at Caesars Superdome.
The Chiefs have become a Super Bowl staple under their two most visible leaders — quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid.
Suamataia has a lot of respect for the pair.
“He’s obviously an amazing football player, but I think what separates him from everybody else is he’s a better person off the field,” Suamataia said of Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and the face of the Chiefs franchise. “He really takes care of us guys off the field, and he really, truly cares about each and every one of the players on the team. I think that is what’s great about Patrick.”
Then there’s Reid, the Kansas City head coach, who, like Suamataia, is a former BYU offensive lineman. Reid and Suamataia also share their faith — both are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — and that familiarity helps Suamataia feel at home in Kansas City.
“It doesn’t even feel like I left home in Utah,” he said. “It really feels like I’m at home, having Coach Reid over here.
“I definitely love Coach Reid.”
What lies ahead for Suamataia as he continues his pro career? The Deseret News caught up with the Utah native during Super Bowl festivities to discuss how this season has gone, what he thought of BYU’s memorable season and what his future in Kansas City might entail.
The highs and lows of a first pro season
The transition to the pro ranks has held plenty of learning, teachable moments for Suamataia, who was a late second-round draft pick by the Chiefs.
That was the first time Kansas City has drafted a BYU player with Reid as head coach.
The struggles haven’t discouraged him, though.
“You’re just taking it day by day, man. You know, I went in with a great attitude every day to work.”
— Kansas City rookie tackle Kingsley Suamataia
“You’re just taking it day by day, man. You know, I went in with a great attitude every day to work,” Suamataia said, while praising the culture in Kansas City. “And you can’t really not go in with a good mentality to work because you have guys that have that championship mentality. So that really just helps along the way, but it’s just God’s timing.”
When the Chiefs were coming out of training camp, the 22-year-old Suamataia had emerged as the team’s Day 1 starter at left tackle.
That lasted two games before a rough outing against Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson, this year’s NFL sacks leader, led to Suamataia being benched. Hendrickson had two sacks and three QB hurries in the one-point Chiefs win.
He briefly came on at left tackle in relief of Wanya Morris in Week 10 against Denver after Morris was injured, but struggled again and was a healthy scratch the next week, prompting Reid to say, “Sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step forward.”
Since that Week 2 benching, Suamataia has primarily earned his limited snaps on special teams.
In Week 18, though, he played 31 offensive snaps at left guard in the regular-season finale against Denver when the Chiefs were resting a good amount of players for their playoff run.
Arrowhead Pride’s Caleb James wrote that the performance was encouraging enough that it “could be the groundwork for things to come.”
Will a move inside be a part of Suamataia’s future in Kansas City?
The Chiefs’ starting right guard, Trey Smith, will be a free agent this offseason, while starting left guard Joe Thuney will be in his final year of his contract in 2025.
Suamataia said he’s open to moving positions along the offensive line.
“Wherever best fits this team, and if that’s playing guard, then so be it. I’m just glad and grateful to be on this team and wherever they need me, that’s what I’m going to play,” he said.
During the postseason, he’s played 12 total snaps over two games, with three on offense and nine on special teams.
“You know, I got my starts in the beginning, and so it’s only my first year. I’m still telling myself that it’s just God’s timing, and just wait for what He has in store,” Suamataia said.
Cheering on the Cougars
Suamataia, who played two years at BYU after transferring from Oregon, followed the Cougars this past season, as BYU went 11-2. They finished tied with Arizona State, Iowa State and Colorado at 7-2 in Big 12 play during the regular season and ended the year ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press poll after beating Colorado 36-14 in the Alamo Bowl.
“I know that almost everybody that’s on the team, even with the new guys, but they did good this year and I’m proud of them boys,” he said. “They’re going to come back even harder this next year — unfinished business for them. Kalani (Sitake) man, he’s doing it, he’s leading everybody. Like I said, he’s a great coach.”
Surrounded by talent early on
Suamataia has been around plenty of high-level talent, even dating back to his days in high school, when he played alongside Puka Nacua at Orem High.
Nacua, who starred at BYU for two seasons after transferring from Washington, recently finished up his second season with the Los Angeles Rams and is already one of the young, budding stars in the game.
Suamataia said he could see Nacua’s athleticism even back in Orem.
“He’s making those crazy catches, toe drags, like everything, one hand, and then you see him just go inside that basketball gym and do 360 windmills,” Suamataia said. “Him doing it at this stage, we already knew it was gonna happen, just had to give him the opportunity. Puka is doing super well.”
Suamataia also has cousins from the Sewell family in the NFL, and thriving. Penei Sewell, a right tackle for the Detroit Lions, is one of the best young offensive linemen in the NFL.
“All the Sewells are doing well — Penei, Nephi, Noah,” Suamataia said.
Will Kingsley Suamataia emerge a Super Bowl champion?
If the Chiefs win Sunday, it will be a historic third straight Super Bowl win for Reid and Kansas City — no franchise has ever won three Super Bowls in a row.
Suamataia, at the very least, should suit up for the occasion, and likely see a few snaps on special teams.
How his future shakes out beyond that is TBD, though he has one of the game’s best teachers in his corner in Reid, and a year of experience under his belt in one of the league’s top organizations.
“Man, it’s a blessing, obviously. It’s part of God’s plan, being drafted here, being here with these wonderful teammates. It’s a great experience,” Suamataia said.
