100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #8 Jonah Laulu By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: August 25, 2023

Player Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 292

Class: Redshirt Fifth

Seasons at OU: 1

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Previous School: University of Hawai’i

The Path to Norman

Jonah Laulu came out of Las Vegas high school football. He joined Hawai’i, where he spent four seasons, becoming an increasingly bigger factor in the defense. Laulu entered the transfer portal after the 2021 season, when several big programs became interested. Despite the interest. the Sooners’ new staff landed the big man.

Career so Far

Laulu took a redshirt season in his first year in college; he played in four games and earned Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year.

In 2019, Laulu played in every game of the season, both on defense and special teams. He finish second on the team in sacks and TFL, showing off his ability to get into the backfield.

2020 was a similar season, although he began his time as a starter by starting in all games but two.

In 2021, Laulu started to get a lot more attention. He started in 11 games, recorded eight TFL, and registered four sacks. As heads turned and more people realized that he was a draft pick waiting, Laulu decided to enter the transfer portal. With competition from several major programs, including Georgia, the Sooners landed the lineman.

2022 was Laulu’s first season with the Sooners. He played at edge in all games of the year, starting in several. As the season progressed, Laulu became increasingly more integral to the defense, getting more snaps and holding his own in run defense.

Stats

Years: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | Career

Games Played: 13 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 53

Tackles: 20 | 34 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 91

TFL: 5.5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 24.5

Sacks: 1.5 | 4 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0 | 9.5

INT: 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1

FF: 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1

FR: 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1

PBU: 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

Over the offseason, Laulu switched positions from the Edge to the interior defensive line. He drew a lot of praise in the spring and summer for getting into even better shape and upping his intensity. The 2022 interior line was a fairly quiet group; with several new faces via the transfer portal and plenty of returning upperclassmen, this position has a chance to impress this fall. A fairly large group has an honest chance at significant minutes, including Laulu. In his final season on campus, look for Laulu to be a regular contributor on the interior.