NFL Draft Diaries: Is there anything that can stop Maryland DT Mbi Tanyi?

One week after playing against Ohio State as a freshman, Mbi Tanyi walked onto the field against Penn State with a torn labrum. On the first play in the second quarter, his arm bends back and the feeling of flesh ripping from bone pulses throughout his body. There was no time to waste though, with the Nittany Lions going straight to the hurry-up. Tanyi had no choice but to get into his stance, with his weight pressing on that very arm until such a time as the drive ended. That’s just the beginning of one of the most incredible stories in this year’s NFL Draft class.

Adversity is a term that gets thrown around a lot when it comes to Football. Can you still give it your all when the odds are stacked against you? It’s easy to label a minor inconvenience as something ‘adverse’, but with two shoulder tears, numerous coaching staff changes and the passing of a teammate during his senior season, Maryland defensive tackle, Mbi Tanyi, is the definition of a man who knows how to deal with adversity.

At 6’1, 280 lbs, the defensive tackle is built for the modern game. But going into High School, his parents, who migrated from Cameroon, wanted him to play a different kind of Football. Mbi first put on a helmet and pads in fifth grade. It was hot. The sun beating down on a field filled with little leaguers who had high hopes. For Mbi, this was all new…but it sparked a love for the game. One his parents grew to understand and support as that love blossomed into an eventual profession. Tanyi was naturally gifted, earning MVP honors during his time at George Bush High School and it didn’t take long for this whole new world of possibility to open its doors to the Texas native.

“When I told them I was taking it seriously and I wanted to get a scholarship, they looked at the odds of how many high school players make it to college etc. With that and injuries, they didn’t want me playing at first. But my recruiting picked up and they saw teams wanted me to go and play there, receiving an education for free, they really supported it.”

For Tanyi, Football was a way to gain a free education and support his family. “I became a senior and Maryland was the first school that offered me.” Then, Tanyi said something that twigged my ear. “Even through all the stuff that happened in those four years, I feel like it was still the best place for me to go. I have unbelievable memories and bonds there, I don’t think I could’ve accomplished that anywhere else.”

Tanyi actually started his career as a guard and played offensive line throughout his High School career. What’s astounding is that Maryland, the college who were the first to show interest in Tanyi, would recruit him as a defensive lineman…and he wouldn’t get his first taste of the position until he stepped into the facility.

“It was hard.” Tanyi explained, recalling a freshman year that should’ve been spent as a redshirt. “I had to retrain my body. I found it quite natural because my body wasn’t made to be an O-lineman. I was coachable and open to learning. I tried my best to progress every day in practice”

Six games into his freshman season, the idea of a year in the shadows, developing, was thrown out of the window. His Head Coach would be fired and Mbi would sacrifice his redshirt freshman status in order to help the team.

Tanyi was told during the recruiting process to attend a school for your own personal development and not the coaching staff. Looking back on a further three coaching changes, I think it’s safe to say that Tanyi was glad he headed that advice. Sacrificing his redshirt status should’ve been an exciting time and it was…but it was also filled with pain.

“The week that I found out I’d be moved up, I tore my labrum in my left shoulder.” Tanyi explained. “I dislocated it in practice. It was my first time being injured. I knew I needed surgery but I postponed it because I found out I was going to play. I played with a torn labrum the whole season. It was painful, but it was a good learning experience. I learned to push through that pain.”

A long way from home, Tanyi had never gone through a surgery before. But in going through that process, he learned a lot about himself.

“How am I gonna catch up with everybody?” Tanyi told himself. “I’m working out with one arm!’ “That part of my life taught me that football is what I want. If I want to pursue this as a dream and a career, I’m gonna have to work. I grinded for a spot on the roster. That sophomore year got me in a good habit for putting in hard work to achieve but also it was really disappointing. That’s where I tore my other shoulder. I tore that in October, it popped out against Minnesota. I’d just got back from my left and my right ripped. I played through that all season. It was hard to play with confidence when both shoulders are tender, sore all the time. It’s hard to muster up the strength and play. I felt like I was playing the best I could.”

That didn’t stop Tanyi registering three tackles against Indiana and appearing in nine games that season…but what followed would be an offseason of reflection. Leaning on his teammates and family, Tanyi worked hard to maintain a positive mindset ahead of his Junior year and placed an emphasis on grinding the tape.

“Film was the closest thing I had to actually playing.” He explained. “I studied my playbook, I’d watch each practice when it ended, study how the o-line moved and got as close to the film as possible. I feel like that was the difference between the year before, and this year. I watched it much closer.”

“If I’m putting my body on the line for this, there has to be an endgame. I’m going to the NFL.” He said with absolute certainty. His voice cold, the intent so, so stone-like that it was almost unbreakable. ” I’m going to do this professionally. I’m going to study more, learn more. Take care of my body more. It became a habit.”

It showed.

As a junior, Tanyi started nine games on the Maryland defensive line, playing in 12 total, tallying a career-high seven tackles at Michigan State en-route to a season where he amassed 20 overall. Playing with a notable mean-streak in his play, Tanyi became a terror for opposing offensive fronts in the Big-10.

“I was playing with confidence. When I hurt my second shoulder, I played with a chip on it. Both times my shoulder was hurt, I felt like I put myself in the wrong position that allowed me to be overpowered. I told myself I’m not gonna let anybody get into that spot. It put that fire in me to be as dominant as I can each play. When you’re not at your best, someone’s gonna overpower you and you’re gonna get hurt. Especially going into my senior year, I did all I could to put myself in the best position.”

All signs were pointing toward a breakout at just the right time, when tragedy struck the Maryland team.

Offensive lineman Jordan McNair shockingly lost his life to heatstroke in May. After staff discovered his body temperature was at 106 degrees, he was rushed to hospital where he passed away two weeks later. The team, the city, the community, were left in a complete state of horror.

“It’s something you wouldn’t even imagine in a million years happening to you.” Tanyi said. His voice a little softer, the atmosphere suddenly drained. “My heart goes out to his family. Every time I think about it, I’m at a loss for words. I feel so bad because sometimes you wonder like, what If I’d have done something? What happened to him, what it did for me, the chip on my shoulder grew bigger and bigger. He was such a pure person, it radiated off of him. He had such a good heart. I tried to play not just for me, but to allow him to play through me.”

That was a sentiment Tanyi carried throughout the locker room. While national media were all trying to scurry around campus to get the latest on what was a very sensitive situation, doing more harm than good, his Head Coach would be suspended, re-enstated and then fired again, and the team would begin to fracture.

Tanyi spoke of many late nights where he and his teammates would simply talk. To unite as one cohesive group and agree that this year and every year after, would be in Jordan’s name. Their play, their passion, would be in his honor. The play would be relentless. A word that Durkin had instilled in the locker room prior to his dismissal and with Tanyi now emerging as someone the younger players looked up to, it was embodied on every single snap.

“I took on a lot of leadership on defense and I really tried to set the example for everyone on the line.” He explained. “If we said we’re gonna play for somebody, let’s play for somebody. Our whole team really tried to epitomize playing for that. Whether it’s Jordan or another personal reason. We tried to play with passion.”

Tanyi ended his senior year with a career-high 36 tackles, 2 sacks, with a big-time showing against #23 Texas, where he totalled 4 tackles, with 1 tackle for a loss and 1 sack. The rise of Mbi Tanyi was just staggering to watch, especially when you consider just how permeating circumstances dictated his entire career.

After closing the chapter on his time as a Terrapin, Tanyi wouldn’t have changed a thing. Alongside finishing his current semester and working an internship to help share life lessons with the next generation, he’s scheduling visits with a pass-rush specalist to build an eclectic arsenal of moves ready for the next level.

NFL Teams love high-motor guys with exceptional character traits…but I have never, ever seen a player endure more physical and mental pain than Tanyi. What happened to Jordan McNair was a tragedy that shook the Footballing world shook to its core. Being on that team, battling through two torn labrums, enduring numerous coaching changes, it speaks volumes.

Imagine tearing both shoulders and somehow playing in 40 of 48 possible games for your team. It’s all part of the game for Mbi Tanyi. A 21-year old with a mentality beyond his years, a sense of humility that will make you reflect on your own, and a drive to make his family proud and turn his dream into a reality.

Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports