ASU football:
Easy to overlook, defensive end Alani Latu has turned into a ‘dependable.’
On the first day of August, defensive end Alani Latu locked arms with right tackle Quinn Bailey at an Arizona State practice at Camp Tontozona. A linebacker slammed into the pile and Latu immediately felt pain in his right elbow.
After getting medical attention on the sideline, Latu learned he had a hyper-extended elbow. Doctor’s best guess: Out for a month, which would cost Latu the first game of his senior season, maybe more. Latu, however, didn’t accept it. He ended up missing a week. “I just told myself I got to get going,” Latu said.
As ASU prepares for Thursday’s opener against New Mexico State, Latu is expected to play a key role, which is odd because the fifth-year senior is so easy to overlook. Among the guilty: firstyear ASU defensive coordinator Phil Bennett.
Bennett’s first impression of Latu: “OK, OK, he has a little experience.” Then he watched Latu in preseason scrimmages and his tune changed a bit.
“Wow,” Bennett thought, “he makes plays, he has some football skill.”
Todd Graham refers to Latu as one of ASU’s “dependables,” which the sixthyear coach describes in this way: “You’re either dependable or you’re careless.”
Asked how many dependables he has, Graham wouldn’t say. The goal, he said, is to get as many as possible. Basically, it comes down to this: The more dependables he has on the field, the less worry he has on the sideline. It’s a work in progress.
Latu’s dependability stems from simple development. Last season he split time with Koron Crump at rush linebacker but he also showed off his versatility. Against Texas Tech in Week 2, Latu lined up at rush linebacker, strong-side linebacker and nose tackle.
Entering this preseason, the 6-2 Latu prepared to play the rush position, dropping 10 pounds to become more explosive, but once practice began, coaches moved him to end. This allowed Bennett to move junior JoJo Wicker to an inside spot where he can take advantage of his quickness.
Latu’s offseason work positioned him to play both positions. His weight last season got as high as 265 pounds. Over the summer it got as low as 248.
“He’s really changed his diet,” said Shawn Griswold, the football program’s head coach of sports performance. “If you touch him, put a hand on his shoulder or whatever, he doesn’t have six-pack abs, but that dude is rock hard.”
Another change: Latu’s twin brother no longer is with him on the defensive line. Viliami Latu played as a true freshman so he exhausted his eligibility last season. He’s still around, however, as a student coach, which presents an odd dynamic. One twin brother coaching the other. “Yeah, it’s kind of weird,” Latu said. “When I mess up in a drill, he knows. I’m walking to the side and he’s looking at me with this look. I’m like, ‘I know, I know.’ Then when we get home and he’s like, ‘You should’ve done this, you should’ve done that.’ It’s great. I just got to humble myself and listen to him sometimes.”
At least he’ll listen to family. Medical staff? Not so much. Latu doesn’t want to waste time.
“This is my last year,” he said. “I got to go out with a bang.”
Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller. Downolad and subscribe to the ASU Pick Six Podcast, available on iTunes.