Huskies Lean On Another Latu in a Time of Need

Laiatu's younger brother Keleki has given the UW a boost at tight end.

Keleki Latu has followed his brother to the UW football team. / Skylar Lin Visuals

For Thursday's University of Washington football practice practice, Quentin Moore, the Huskies' No. 1 tight end, showed up with a protective boot on his left foot. He would spend much of his time that morning doing rehab exercises with trainers.

Meantime, Keleki Latu felt just fine and filled in for him.

For all seven practices, sophomore tight end Ryan Otton, younger brother of UW and NFL standout Cade Otton, likewise has been sidelined with some sort of unspecified injury and so far has been unable to prepare for the coming season.

On the other hand, Latu has not missed a step in Montlake after previously playing for Nevada and California.

For the first week of fall workouts, freshman tight end Charlie Crowell showed up injured, as well, and wasn't available until recently.

Add to that walk-ons Owen Coutts and Wilson Schwartz who similarly have been dinged up in practice and temporarily exited the field in search of medical attention.

The 6-foot-7, 244-pound Latu from Sacramento, California, has been a steadying presence for a suddenly beat-up Husky position group. Along with freshman Decker DeGraaf, those two have been the only UW tight ends, with or without scholarships, who have maintained good health throughout fall camp while the well-being of everyone else has been stretched to the limit.

Latu, of course, is the younger brother of former Husky edge rusher Laiatu Latu who was forced to medically retire at the UW prior to the 2021 season with a neck injury before getting a positive second opinion at UCLA, becoming a consensus All-America player and going to the Indianapolis Colts with the 15th pick overall in the NFL Draft.

"I wish he was able to finish here and he wished he was able to do it, too," Keleki Latu said. of his brother's Husky experience. "Hopefully, I can finish out strong for him."

Keleki Latu, third from left, waits his turn in a tight-end line. / Skylar Lin Visuals

In 2018, the Latu brothers played together at Jesuit High School in Sacramento, California, both as tight ends and edge rushers.

Two inches taller and 20 pounds lighter than his older sibling, Keleki Latu wasn't offered by Jimmy Lake's UW staff, nor did Kalen DeBoer's coaches have a tight-end spot for him when he left Cal after two seasons.

Jedd Fisch's staff, however was in the market for a UW tight end with proven receiving ability and Keleki seemed to fit that with 36 career catches for 434 yards and 2 touchdowns -- with one of those scores coming against Arizona and Fisch in 2022 on a 3-yard pass in Cal's 49-31 victory that season in Berkeley.

Yet this offensive-minded Latu has come to the Huskies to become a complete player under the guidance of tight-ends coach Jordan Paopao.

"Being with Paopao, he’s going to teach me to also become a great blocker in the run game," he said. "I want to be able to be a hybrid, both run and pass game.”

While enjoying good health at the UW, Latu had to overcome his own injury ordeal last season after breaking his fibula in his left leg in his sixth game for Nevada, abruptly ending everything for him at the midway point of the schedule. He's fully recovered now.

This past April, the Latu brothers were together in Detroit for the NFL Draft, sharing in the Green Room and all, with Laiatu having everything turn out as well for him as could be expected and Keleki getting a good look at what's possible.

The Huskies couldn't be more receptive to having another Latu family member on the roster and back in the fold as a potential game-day contributor.

“Keleki’s kind of put himself in a really good spot to just be available,” Paopao said. "I think he’s done a really nice job of stepping into whatever role we’ve asked of him."

That would be as a veteran tight end who can catch and, best of all, a player named Latu who gives everyone added comfort that good things could be ahead.

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