Laiatu Latu

Laiatu Latu ( ; born December 31, 2000) is an American professional football defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and UCLA Bruins, where he was named a unanimous All-American and won the Ted Hendricks and Lombardi Awards with the latter in 2023. Latu was selected by the Colts in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life

Latu was born on December 31, 2000, in Sacramento, California, later attending Jesuit High School. As a junior he earned accolades playing both ways — as a tight end on offense and an outside linebacker on defense, also making significant contributions as a member of Jesuit's special teams. Marauders head coach Marion Blanton characterized Latu as a "solid young man" who was "very coachable." Standing 6'5" and weighing 245 pounds as a senior, Latu was rated a four-star recruit and committed to play college football at Washington over offers from UCLA, USC, Oregon, Stanford, and Alabama.

College career

Latu began his college career with the Washington Huskies in the fall of 2019. He played in 12 games as a freshman and finished the season with 16 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Latu suffered a neck injury during fall practices entering his 2020 sophomore year. He did not appear in any of Washington's four games played during the COVID pandemic-shortened season. He underwent surgery on his neck in March 2021 in an attempt to alleviate his nerve issue.

Washington's team doctors deemed that Latu's injury had not recovered sufficiently for him to continue playing football. Huskies head coach Jimmy Lake announced that Latu had been forced by injury to retire for medical reasons at the start of spring practices in 2021.

"We consulted I believe about five of the best specialists in the country," Lake told the press. "We exhausted every professional we could think of to make sure this was the proper decision.... It was a tough decision to make for sure, but it's for the safety of our players first and foremost. We never want to put anybody in danger of possibly not being able to use his extremities the rest of his life." Latu sought to continue his career as a player, however, and spent the next four months attempting to gain medical clearance to play elsewhere and searching for a college program that would take a chance on him given his previous injury. including one from Dr. Robert Watkins of Marina del Rey, California. In September 2021, Latu traveled to California to be examined by Watkins, who subsequently gave him medical clearance to play football again. He was cleared to play by team physicians near the end on the Bruins' spring practices.

During his 2022 junior season Latu was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week for week 4 after recording three sacks and forcing a fumble against Colorado. He ended with 10.5 sacks for the year in 13 games played. Latu was the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the year in 2023 and a unanimous selection as an All-American for that season.

Professional career

2024 season Latu was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 15th overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. He was the first defensive player selected in the draft.

According to Colts area scout Chris McGaha, the team's decision to select Latu revolved both around his complete love of the game, exemplified by his battle to return from injury, and his physical gifts.

"It kind of jumps off the tape, the ones who have the standout traits," McGaha told the Indianapolis Star. "He's athletic. You see the get-off right away. He can bend. He's got a long list of pass rush moves that he puts in play all the time. He can win upfield, he can win inside, he can come down the middle with power. He's great with his hands. He's got moves and he's got countermoves. You feel the twitch, the power. The way he can get off the ball, the way he can contort his body. The physical traits, to me, are the easiest part to see to his game.” He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.

2025 season In Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, Latu recorded his first career interception against Tua Tagovailoa.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season YearTeamGamesTacklesInterceptionsFumbles GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck TFL PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD 2024 IND 17 1 32 16 16 4.0 5 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 0 0 2025 IND 16 16 45 27 18 8.5 12 5 3 9 3.0 6 0 1 0 0 0Career 33 17 77 43 34 12.5 17 6 3 9 3.0 6 0 4 1 0 0

Personal life His brother Keleki is a tight end for the Buffalo Bills.