UW Roster Review, No. 0-99: Jordan Lolohea Is Man on New Mission

Jordan Lolohea's transformation from spiritual Mormon missionary to less peaceful college football player likely wasn't fully complete until the University of Washington's final spring practice.

Late in the Wednesday workout, the freshman outside linebacker from Salt Lake City began trading harmless shoves with junior center Cory Luciano that immediately escalated to violent roundhouse swings.

Welcome to the church of Husky football.

"He's served the Lord," outside linebacker coach Ikaika Malloe said. "It's great to have him back."

Lolohea, at 6-foot-2 and 270 pounds, went about knocking off the rust of not playing for multiple seasons during the spring and he turned temperamental on command.

He's the ripe old age of 21 now for someone still considered a true freshman.

He hasn't appeared in an organized football game for five years, spending two of them in Detroit on his mission.

"He's just got to continue to get better," Husky coach Jimmy Lake said. "[It's] his best version that he's been since he got here off his mission. When we finally got him here, he's at the best point that he's been, but he's still got a ways to go."

Going down the roster in numerical order, this is another of our post-spring assessments of all of the Husky talent at hand, gleaned from a month of observations, as a way to keep everyone engaged during the offseason.

Lolohea wears No. 51, which he shares with the highest decorated player on the roster, offensive tackle Jaxson Kirkland. The newcomer will see if he can elevate his game to match his teammate.

He's done it before.

As a senior at East High School, Lolohea and fellow Husky Taki Taimani, a defensive tackle, led the Leopards to a 14-0 record and a Utah 4A state championship in 2016.

Lolohea, who lists himself on social media as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, chose Washington over BYU and Utah, schools that have no problem pursuing players who interrupt their college football careers with theological service.

A hybrid edge rusher and down lineman, Lolohea was a fearsome player in high school, piling up a state-leading 23 sacks. The good times, however, were tempered by the sudden death of his father.

Al Lolohea, a former University of Utah defensive lineman who lettered for the Utes in 1987, passed away at home in 2016, three days following Christmas with his family surrounding him. He was 60.

Five weeks following his father's death, Lolohea wore a white shirt, a black tie, a cultural skirt and flip flops as he announced his college choice. He wiped away tears and spoke of his dad as he revealed he would play for Washington.

While responsible to his religion, Lolohea probably didn't realize there would be such a big gap between football games. It's all coming back to him now, especially the disagreeable player part protecting his turf.

Lolohea's 2021 Outlook: Projected reserve outside linebacker

UW Service Time: None

Stats: None

Individual Honors: Not yet

Pro prospects: 2025 NFL third-day draftee

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