Logo celebrating 100 days with a football dated 9-3-22. 100 Days to Football Time in Oklahoma: #8 Jonah Laulu By: Ryan Lewis Posted on: August 26, 2022

Player Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’5″

Weight: 271

Class: Redshirt Senior

Seasons at OU: 0

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

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 simliar 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.

Stats

Years: 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | Career

Games Played: 12 | 9 | 15 | 4 | 40

Tackles: 34 | 26 | 11 | 0 | 71

TFL: 8 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 19

Stats via Soonersports.com

Highlights

This Season

Laulu has two seasons of eligiblity remaining as he starts his time in Norman. He will be competing for playing time at defensive end, putting his ability to get into the backfield to good use. Reggie Grimes and Ethan Downs are set to start, with Marcus Stripling and Laulu the main factors behind them. The new defensive staff will be ready to reassert the OU defense this season and Laulu has a good chance to be a factor in that.