Tonga attended Aragon High School in San Mateo, California, where he was an All-County and All-League selection he also had his jersey retired.

After graduating from high school and serving a LDS church mission to Honduras, Tonga attended Brigham Young University and served as a lead blocker for all-time rusher Harvey Unga.

Tonga was signed by the Oakland Raiders in April 2010 after going undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft.

He was cut by the Oakland Raiders in September 2010 when teams were required to get rosters down to 53 players, but then was re-signed to the practice squad.

In 2011, Tonga was released during final cuts by the Raiders, but later was re-signed to the practice squad the next day.