Best of the Portal: Oklahoma Hoping DE Jonah Laulu Can Build on Production From Hawaii

The Sooners made up for defensive line draftees by adding depth in the trenches out of the transfer portal.

Ross Lovelace | May 5, 2022

The Oklahoma Sooners made a number of additions in the transfer portal this offseason. And while a few of those new players were on full display in last month’s spring game, AllSooners is taking a look back at each transfer’s top moments with their former team.

With Oklahoma going through an off-season full of change, it’s easy to notice the departures. Coming off an NFL Draft that saw seven Sooners selected, there’s a lot of talent to replace.

Oklahoma’s seven NFL draft picks tied Alabama for fifth most in the country. Five out of the seven players selected were defensive players. Three out of the seven were defensive linemen, meaning the Sooners had a lot of production to replace.

Nik Bonitto, Perrion Winfrey and Isaiah Thomas were all multi-year starters on OU’s defensive front and were a key source of talent and leadership. Without them in the fold, the Sooners will have to look elsewhere in the trenches.

Oklahoma addressed those holes in the transfer portal with the additions of Jonah Laulu from Hawaii and Tulane’s Jeffery Johnson. Both massive bodies, the Sooners will need them both this season to return to their perch atop the Big 12.

Laulu spent four seasons at Hawaii, including a redshirt year, before transferring to Oklahoma.

He committed to the Sooners on Jan. 6 as one of the first recruiting wins for the new coaching staff.

In his first college game seeing action, a win over Nevada on Sept. 26, 2019, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound lineman notched three total tackles, two for loss, 0.5 quarterback sacks and a forced fumble.

The Rainbow Warrior’s fell to Boise State later that same season on Dec. 7, but not because of Laulu’s effort. He tallied three tackles, two for loss, and recorded one sack in one of Hawaii’s biggest games of the season.

In Hawaii’s 2020 loss to San Diego State, Laulu recorded three solo tackles, four total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.

Even though the Bruins were victorious, Laulu stood out in the 2021 season opener against UCLA. This was against a solid Bruin squad, too. He flew around for five solo tackles, including two tackles for loss, and a career-high two sacks.

Last season, Laulu played in 12 games and made 11 starts for Hawaii. He notched 34 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks and four QB hurries.

Recent seventh round pick Isaiah Thomas recorded 38 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks and three QB hurries last year. Even though Thomas split time between the outside and interior of the defensive line at OU, Laulu can help fill the gap he left behind on the edge.

The Las Vegas product has a chance to standout in his short stint with the Sooners. With OU needing immediate help up front, Laulu can step into the spotlight right away.

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Published May 5, 2022

ROSS LOVELACE

Experience Ross is a young, up-and-coming sports reporter who has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Oklahoma Sooners over the past six years. He's made guest appearances on various radio stations and has helped out with the All Sooners podcast whenever he gets the chance. Ross enjoys public speaking and has done so at multiple churches and high schools across the OKC metro area. In addition to writing, Ross has been the Play-by-Play announcer for Crossings’ basketball and football programs since 2020. In high school, Ross worked for self-starter blogs and latched onto Thunder Digest, where he discovered his passion for writing. From there, he worked for the OU Daily as a women's basketball reporter and was hired by All Sooners. Ross landed an internship with Sports Illustrated's Inside the Thunder and has since become a full-time contributor. One day, Ross hopes to work in the NBA. Work History Education Ross holds a bachelor's degree in Public Relations and a minor in Communication from the University of Oklahoma. Personal Born and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Ross played basketball and wrote for his own Thunder blog at Crossings High School in OKC, OK. He enjoys reading, New York Jets football and a week at the beach. Ross is engaged to be married at the end of the year. His Twitter handle is @Rosslovelace.