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Q: You’re the middle of seven children?

L: Yes. The middle child. The biggest one and the tallest one, too.

Photo by Jenelle Schneider / PROVINCE

Q: So what was that like around the dinner table with seven kids to feed? Did you have to fight for your food?

A: No. I ate a lot. I had my growth spurt pretty early.

Q: You moved from the Congo to Montreal when you were seven. That can’t be an easy transition for a kid. What do you remember about moving halfway around the world?

A: We were there for just a year. It was very cold. We got there in December. It was a big culture shock. The weather was crazy, but we adjusted. Luckily my dad got an opportunity to work out west, so we followed him.

Q: You moved west and you’ve stayed west. You had the chance to play football at the University of Oregon. I read somewhere you guys were 47-3 in your time there. That’s crazy. What’s it like going into every game pretty much knowing that you’re going to win?

A: It was pretty sweet playing for Chip Kelly and being in that winning environment. That’s what we’re trying to create here. Playing for a winning team and being around winners is what made the experience so good for me.

Photo by Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images

Q: What’s the experience of playing in a Rose Bowl like? We all watch it on TV, but you got to live it. Twice.

A: It’s amazing. It’s a great environment. Football is everything down south, and being at the epicentre of something like that is beautiful.

Q: You got engaged earlier this year in Hawaii. During the Lions’ bye week. Had that been in the works for a while?

A: Yeah, I had been planning that for about six months. Finally everything seemed to be working out and I had to make a big decision. And I think I made the best decision for my life. We met at Oregon. She was on the basketball team. I was on the football team. We just hung out one day and we never stopped hanging out (laughs).

Q: Do you have a wedding date yet?

A: We’re planning for July 2017.

Q: In the season again? Can you plan a wedding when you don’t know next year’s schedule yet?

A: No. I’m letting my fiancée do all that.

Q: But you may not be available on the date she chooses. That would be a problem, wouldn’t it?

A: (laughs) Well, then, we may have to change dates.