By Jerry Christensen | [email protected]

This is an ongoing column highlighting Brighton athletes who continue to excel at the next levels. Send profile recommendations to [email protected].

Strapping on the Dallas Cowboy blue and white this fall for a second year as a professional NFL Football player is Brighton’s own Simi Fehoko.

Fehoko and Jackson Kaufusi were the toast of the blue and orange football program seven seasons ago taking Brighton football to the state finals. “The competitive skills that I learned in our idyllic Brighton stadium prepared me for college and the NFL” Fehoko said.

As a junior at Brighton he led the state in receiving, posting 65 receptions for 1,656 yards and 24 receiving touchdowns (state record). As a senior, he tallied 59 receptions for 1,495 yards and 16 receiving touchdowns. He was a two-time All-State selection and was named to the 2015 USA Today All-USA high school football team—a high honor in the history of the Brighton football program. He set the state record for career receiving yards (3,571) and career receiving touchdowns (41). He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and committed to Stanford University to play college football. As a senior, Fehoko was named Deseret News 2015 5A Mr. Football. A storied high school career.

 

“I remember him dunking the basketball and being the center of the mosh pit at the school dances” recalled Christine Yee. A kind-hearted fellow student, he was known around the circular halls of Brighton High as a friend to everyone. He was accepted at Stanford not just for his athletic prowess but also for his academic performance. He took advantage of Brighton’s renowned AP courses.

Stanford football waited while Fehoko served a two-year Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints mission in South Korea. He returned in 2018 a full 6’4” and 200-plus pounds as a promising wide receiver in Palo Alto. The question with all high-performing prep stars is “can the athlete take the skills to the next level and continue to excel?” Fehoko answered that question with an exclamation point. He successfully translated his Brighton receiving skills to the collegiate level setting Stanford records and being named to All-PAC-12 First Team as a junior in 2020.

Declaring for the NFL a draft at the end of that accolade-rich junior year, Fehoko was drafted in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the flashy Dallas Cowboys—a match for Fehoko’s growing athletic skills.

Of his first year at the highest level of the sport of football, Fehoko admits, “I’d say definitely it’s a learning year. I felt like I got my feet wet learning the offense to build that trust and just get a feel for what it’s like to be in the NFL.” He appeared in five of the Cowboys regular season games as a rookie. His teammates know him as a talented young player who comes into work with his head down ready to work and get better—just as he did at Brighton.

“He comes in every day. He goes to work. He’s not a complainer,” said Dallas wide receiver Noah Brown. “He puts his head down and he’s just trying to get better each and every day, taking advantage of his opportunities out there.”