No, no, and no! That’s all Laiatu Latu had heard from doctors after he sustained a neck injury in 2020. While he didn’t let it deter him, his numbness worried his doctors. But he had immense faith in himself. And so did his family. Amidst the injury, his mother, Kerry Latu, became his backbone.

The single mother would sit for hours and research doctors who could clear him for football games. But it wasn’t easy. Laiatu Latu met many specialists over Zoom calls, going over his medical records, but the verdict was always the same. No. This went on for two years and even surgery didn’t solve his problem.

During this time, Latu was getting sidelined from games. And it’s not surprising. He was injured. As time passed, it turned into him missing out on two full seasons. “I love the game so much and I can’t see myself not playing, and I’ve got to play to my full potential. That’s what really keeps me going.” But just as painful the injury was, his return was sweeter.

He entered the transfer portal and left the Washington Huskies behind. UCLA quickly got the athlete on their side, but there was no guarantee about him playing. His mobility during drills was limited. But in April 2022, he received big news. A doctor had cleared him to play. When Latu informed his mother about this, she cried tears of joy. All their hard work was paying off. “I just feel like I got my heart back,” he said. No doubt, he made sure to make his mother feel special on Mother’s Day (2022)- just a month after the doctor cleared him.

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“I love you Mom and thank you for always being there for all 4 of us. You’re the only person we ever needed. We love you so much, Happy Mothers Day,” he wrote.

Similarly, a year after Laiatu’s surgery, Kerry took to Instagram to share how her son coped with an extremely difficult time in his life. “Hard to believe surgery was one year ago today. To my son, I’m so proud of you—for never giving up, keeping a positive outlook, and for staying determined. To the people that stayed in his corner, and continued to lift him up—thank you! Words cannot express how grateful I am.”

Not much is known about Kerry. The single mom of four loves sports, though. This passion comes from her children being heavily involved in sports. As per the information available, she would work multiple jobs to support her family after she and her partner parted ways when Laiatu was a young child of 5 or 6.

Very little is known about Latu’s siblings. However, his younger brother, Keleki, also plays football. For Keleki, Latu has been a role model and an inspiration. Watching him play football pushed the younger brother to pursue it. But coming back to Laiatu’s injury, his Washington coach became a father figure for him.

Coach Ikaika Malloe became Laiatu Latu’s surrogate father

“All the while when I wasn’t playing football, I just had the determination and the mind-set that I was going to be able to come back and play football and prove to the world what I could do,” said Latu. But apart from his mother, coach Ikaika Malloe was a big support. While Malloe too, later went to UCLA, he worked with Latu in Washington too.

Malloe commended Laiatu Latu’s focus and resilience. “Not too many people go through that with a career-ending injury and then have an opportunity to come back… He did, and so his whole mindset was like every single day, he’s going to make sure he attacks it and competes.”

However, their relationship went beyond student-coach. They prayed together. They shed tears together. Grieved the end of Latu’s football career. Their relationship evolved to where Malloe felt like a proud parent seeing his son make a big comeback. “It’s been really special to watch him do what he has done… He’s really changed everything in terms of my process when somebody has the belief that he has. To never say quit, that changed my whole meaning of that word. I think he has so much more growth in him, and I’m excited to see what he does in the NFL.”

Soon Laiatu Latu became a star pass rusher at UCLA. He built his stock high- high enough to be seen as a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

UPDATE: During the 2024 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected UCLA’s defensive end, Laiatu Latu, with the No. 15 overall pick.