It's easy to tell Tennessee's two Polynesian players apart. Jesse Mahelona is the little guy.

The little guy is 6-foot-2, 300 pounds. The big guy is offensive tackle Albert Toeaina, who is 6-6, 350 pounds

"He's so big, the picture of him is heavy," UT assistant coach Trooper Taylor said Saturday.

The picture used to be heavier. Toeaina, a junior college transfer from California, has weighed as much as 380 pounds.

After losing 30 pounds, he doesn't look overweight. But he still looks as big as any college football player you have ever seen.

Freshman quarterback Erik Ainge was asked if he had ever seen anyone as big as Toeaina.

"On WWF," he said. "But none of those guys can move as fast as he can."

Most of the older Vols first saw Toeaina when he made his recruiting visit last October. The size of Neyland Stadium impressed Toeaina. The size of Toeaina impressed everybody else.

"I thought, 'We've got to get him on our squad, so I don't have to play against him,' " UT defensive end Karlton Neal said. "I'd rather go against him in practice than a game."

Wide receiver Tony Brown already had heard about Toeaina, whose junior college coach also coached former UT safety Gibril Wilson, Brown's roommate.

"His coach told me, 'This guy is a monster,' " Brown said. "He said, 'We can't control him down here. We just have to let the beast loose.' "

Toeaina might be big, strong and athletic, but he doesn't make a beastly impression. He smiled his way through most of Saturday's interview session and seemed comfortable discussing any subject from fried chicken to his Polynesian culture.

"I feel like I'm a little kid," he said. "I think I'm like everybody else."

Almost everybody else sees someone that warrants a second look. UT players delight in watching others watch Toeaina.

"They don't just do a double take," center Jason Respert said. "Sometimes, they even do a triple take."

The First Baptist Church of Hendersonville got a look at Toeaina when he spent the weekend with James Wilhoit and his family this summer.

"It was the funniest thing in the world to see people just look at him like, 'Oh my gosh,' " Wilhoit said.

"He was in Hawaiian shorts and shirt. He asked me if he would be underdressed (for church). I said, 'You're fine.' "

When you're 6-6, 350 pounds with muscles popping out all over the place, you can wear what you want.

Before the spring game, Toeaina donned an ie lavalava, which in his culture is appropriate attire for doing battle. In our culture, it looks more like a skirt.

So what did his teammates think?

"They were saying 'Get me one of those,' " Toeaina said.

At his size, Toeaina can gain respect by showing up. He gained more respect when he went through spring practice.

Toeaina, who will start at right tackle, demonstrated his strength in the weight room when he bench-pressed a team-record 550 pounds. He demonstrated his competitiveness when he requested 35 more pounds, but his strength and conditioning coaches didn't want to risk it.

His more-is-better approach extends from the weight room to the dining room. Asked to describe a suitable dinner, he lists chicken, steak, roast, shrimp and broccoli. If he were forced to cut back, you get the feeling he would cull the broccoli first and the fried chicken last. He already has terrorized local all-you-can-eat buffets and challenged the Wilhoit's kitchen as well.

A man who can eat 19 pieces of fried chicken in a sitting has never had it so good. He grew up in a tough part of San Francisco and lived a Spartan existence as a junior college player. He appreciates the difference.

"In JUCO ball, we drank from a rusty water fountain," he said. "Everybody would line up, and they'd get 10 seconds (to drink).

"Here, we've got Gatorade in our training room, and everything is laid out for you in your locker. It's easy to get ready."

It's easy to get psyched up, too.

Before last year's Georgia game, Toeaina checked out the Neyland Stadium crowd long before kickoff. The stadium was only half full, but it still made an impression.

"I went to get a snack, then came back out later," Toeaina said. "It was full. I was like 'Wow.' "

UT fans will have the same reaction when they see Toeaina.

John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.