Pate Tuilevuka stood on the sidelines, his eyes widening with amazement. He had only come to this tryout as a favor to a friend, but he quickly realized he was witnessing something truly extraordinary.
The athlete in front of him was not only enormous and powerful, but unbelievably fast and agile. The possibilities seemed endless, the heights seemed limitless. Tuilevuka, the general manager of Major League Rugby’s Seattle Seawolves, saw something special in Laiatu Latu.
“Jonah was a huge, massive individual who had incredible speed and power,” Tuilevuka remarked, drawing parallels between the young prospect and rugby legend Jonah Lomu. “So, as soon as I saw (Latu) … I just knew, ‘Aw shoot, this kid has all of that.'”
Former teammate Louis Stanfill also chimed in, recalling Latu’s dominance on the rugby field. “He was a man among boys, especially in his senior year,” Stanfill praised. “He could run, could hit, could jump. He could do everything and he was coachable in everything.”
Despite his success in rugby, Latu felt a pull towards a different game – American football. An unfortunate neck injury at the University of Washington had threatened to end his football dreams, but Latu refused to give up. He rejected Tuilevuka’s offer to join the Seawolves, opting to pursue a career in football instead.
“He would play here in the States for MLR. He’d get on the U.S. National Team, and then someone in France, England, New Zealand (would sign him),” Tuilevuka mused, imagining the prosperous rugby career Latu could have had. “He’d be making good money, living in France and playing great rugby.”
The moment that solidified Latu’s decision to switch to football was clear in his mind. “I tackled the running back, and right after that play everyone was still playing and running around because I did it pretty quick,” he recounted. “So when I turned around, my middle linebacker was running full speed and hit me in my face.”
The determination and passion that drove Laiatu Latu to chase his American football dream was undeniable. As he set his sights on a new path, leaving behind the familiar world of rugby, the football community watched on in anticipation of what this exceptional athlete could achieve on the gridiron.
