@ 1:20-1:30 you get to see him box squatting.
The unquestioned defensive leader, the Yellow Jackets' team captain is a throwback to an old era when defensive tackles simply controlled the action in the middle of the field. Blessed with good quickness and strength, wrestling quarterbacks and ball carriers to the ground certainly comes natural for Anoai, whose family features some of the most renowned athletes in the history of professional wrestling.
His father, Leati, known in the mat circles as Sika, joined his uncle, Afa, in forming the tag team called the "Wild Samoans," and the duo was recently inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame. All three of his uncle's sons, Samu, Afa, Jr. and Lloyd, are wrestlers, and Afa's daughter, Monica, is married to wrestler Gary Albright.
Joe's brother, Rosey, joined the "family business," which also includes other relatives like Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoa'i, Sam "Tama" Fatu, Solofa "Rikishi" Fatu, Jr., Eddie "Umaga" Fatu and Matt "RO'Z" Anoa'i. Other family members who wrestled include Peter Maivia, Toa Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Jimmy Snuka, Jimmy Snuka, Jr. and Reno "Black Pearl" Anoa'i. In addition, Joe's cousin, Afa Anoai, plays football at Connecticut.
Anoai was rated the 80th-best player in Florida by BorderWars as a senior at Escambia High School. He added second-team All-State Class 5-A honors from the Florida Sports-writers Association and was named Defensive Player of the Year by the Pensacola News Journal.
The first-team All-Northwest Florida choice recorded 120 tackles as a senior, with 12 sacks, six forced fumbles and two interceptions. He spent his first three seasons at Pensacola Catholic High School, where he posted 96 tackles and six sacks as a junior.
Anoai enrolled at Georgia Tech as a 235-pound defensive end in 2003. He played in 11 games as a reserve that season, posting eight tackles (five solos) with a sack and three stops for losses. He also caused two fumbles, but was bothered earlier in the year by a left shoulder stinger that forced him to miss one game.
Having added 20 pounds to his frame during the off-season, Anoai took over right tackle duties, starting 12 games in 2004. He played with a nagging right shoulder injury that required surgery after the season, but managed to deliver 34 tackles (17 solos) with 3.5 sacks and 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage. He also caused a fumble and deflected two passes.
In 2005, Anoai continued to grow. Now up to 275 pounds, he started 11 games at right tackle, collecting 26 tackles (16 solos), but was bothered the second half of the year by a left ankle sprain. He added three sacks and 6.5 stops for losses.
As a senior, Anoai's frame developed to 300 pounds. The team captain earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team honors, as he made a career-high 40 tackles (23 solos). He registered 4.5 sacks with nine stops behind the line of scrimmage and also recovered a pair of fumbles.
In 48 games at Georgia Tech, Anoai started 37 contests. He recorded 108 tackles (61 solos) with 12 sacks for minus-85 yards and 29.5 stops for losses of 126 yards. He recovered four fumbles and recovered another while also deflecting three passes.
