BYU transfer a spring practice standout on Boise State’s defensive line

Coming off a 12-2 season and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance, Boise State has been active in the transfer portal with 15 additions since the Fiesta Bowl. 

Several of the portal newcomers are expected to make a big impact for the Broncos in 2025. 

Boise State Broncos on SI is highlighting the team’s top five transfer portal additions of the offseason. 

We have already covered defensive back Jaden Mickey (Notre Dame), defensive lineman Dion Washington (Hawaii) and kicker Colton Boomer (UCF) and are moving on to the Broncos’ No. 2 portal addition: Defensive lineman David Latu.

David Latu, junior, defensive line

Boise State scoured the transfer portal to add depth along its defensive line, bringing in five transfers from Division I programs.  

During spring practice, Dion Washington and David Latu were the standouts among the newcomers on the defensive front. 

Latu, a 6-foot-4, 305-pound tackle who spent the last two seasons at BYU, earned high praise from head coach Spencer Danielson throughout the spring. 

“He hasn’t even seen his best football yet,” Danielson said. “He’s continuing to develop, and I’m excited to see where he’s going to continue to be in the future.”

A 2019 graduate of Utah’s Bingham High School, Latu served a Latter-day Saints mission before starting his college football career at Snow College. He recorded 23 total tackles and 1.5 sacks as a freshman, receiving NJCAA second-team all-America honors. 

Latu was rated a three-star junior college prospect when he signed with BYU over offers from Utah State, Washington State and others. He played in all 12 games during the 2023 season, tallying six total tackles.

Latu redshirted in 2024 as the Cougars went 11-2 overall and finished at No. 13 in the AP top 25. He entered the transfer portal in December and signed with Boise State in January.

Latu, who was rated a three-star transfer by 247Sports and the No. 1,394 overall player in the portal, has two years of eligibility remaining. He is a strong candidate to take over the starting nose tackle role from Herbert Gums, who exhausted his eligibility last season. 

During spring practice, Latu emerged as one of Boise State’s best interior linemen with his combination of size and strength. Latu is at his best defending the run but also flashed the ability to harass quarterbacks with his quickness and burst. 

With two starters to replace up front in Gums and Ahmed Hassanein, the Broncos need Latu to be an impact player on the defensive line in 2025.