UCLA Football: D'Anton Lynn Unpacks Laiatu Latu's Resilience In Making NCAA Return

UCLA Bruins star defensive lineman Laiatu Latu is gearing up for a most improbable pro career.

Latu incurred a major neck injury during his the preseason ahead of his sophomore year with the Washington Huskies, and was officially, medically retired by team doctors from playing football again.

He transferred to UCLA as a junior in 2022, and miraculously resumed his career while playing better than ever.

Former UCLA defensive coordinator D'Anton Lynn (now with the Trojans), explained how he saw Latu develop and grow while gearing up for his surprise playing comeback, per Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.

“Similar drills that you would do with defensive backs or (inside) linebackers at times, and I just don’t remember ever seeing a guy who played his position — I’m taking them through these drills, and just like, ‘Wow,’ looking at how he moves,” Lynn said. “How he flipped his hips, how he’d sink and come out of breaks, his lateral (and) change of direction, his ability to move backwards. He’s just a special athlete in the way he moves.”

“He was a pro in college,” said Lynn. “He just prepared a lot like the guys I was in the NFL with.”

Lynn would certainly know a thing or two about pro-level athletes. He himself is a former pro coach for the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens

Latu enjoyed quite the comeback with UCLA. This season, he won the Ted Hendricks Award, the Lombardi Award, the Morris Trophy and the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year honor. The 6'5", 267-pound star defensive end was also named a two-time First-Team All-Pac-12 honoree during his two UCLA seasons, and a unanimous All-American selection this past year.