UCLA Alum Laiatu Latu is the Embodiment of Resilience

Laiatu Latu was given a second chance at stardom.

After being deemed medically unable to play football again, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end never took that second chance for granted. And now, he has the luxury of calling himself a first-round pick.

As a freshman at the University of Washington, there was a budding star in the making, but his coaches needed to season him first before they could officially unleash him.

Unfortunately for Latu, that dream was shattered after he suffered a devastating neck injury in 2020 that required surgery. Little did he know, his life had changed. Washington's team doctors didn't see the recovery they wanted out of Latu and told him he could never play football again.

As devastating as that was, he didn't budge. He wasn’t taking no for an answer.

After months of seeking multiple opinions, he was cleared by a doctor in California, leading him to enter the transfer portal and become a UCLA Bruin. Westwood had no idea what it was in store for.

Envision the most dominant rusher you've seen. Now double it.

Latu made waves instantly donning the Blue and Gold. During his two-year career, he totaled 23.5 sacks and 35 tackles for loss. And as if it were even possible, in his senior year, he switched into a whole new gear.

By leading the nation in tackles for loss (22) and leading the Pac-12 in sacks (13).

Because of that sheer dominance, it helped leverage him into becoming a first-round draft pick, selected 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 2024.

You never know with rookies—especially edge-rushing rookies in the NFL—but the 24-year-old hardly looked out of place. He registered four sacks, 32 total tackles (16 solo), three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard saw the vision for greatness after his rookie year:

"I thought you could see it as the year went on. Were the sacks coming at the end? No, but the pressures were. And I think you'll see him finish more as we go forward here."

Not so bad for a player who was forced to retire four years ago. And you can tell that he's only scratching the surface.

Latu's story is a testament to resilience—and he's not even close to calling it quits.