BREAKING: Will Latu Makes His UW Commitment Official

The 2020 Washington defensive class added another highly coveted linebacker in four-star inside linebacker Will Latu. The Huskies beat out USC, Michigan, Tennessee, Nebraska and Utah for his services.

An important linebacker target and a four-star recruit, Bethel High School's Will Latu chose Father's Day to announce his commitment to Washington. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 221 pounds, Latu is one of the top inside linebacker recruits in the country.  

A versatile player on both sides of the ball, Latu caused many scouting services to list him as an "athlete" rather than just an inside linebacker.  

Coach Jimmy Lake let Husky fans know that a new commit was on board.

 John Garcia,  Sports Illustrated's director of football recruiting, said Latu has the size and speed to be a downhill punishing linebacker, but noted he has other qualities college and NFL teams are seeking.

"Will has the ability to play both a lateral game and back in coverage," Garcia said.  "We're seeing a lot of linebackers drafted that were high school running backs."

As a junior at Bethel High School, Latu carried the ball 120 times for more than 700 yards and 14 touchdowns.  As a running back, he demonstrated a high football IQ, vision and a low center of gravity that will be valuable for Latu at the college level.

"We've seen the Pete Kwiatkowski defense, the Jimmy Lake defense, really focus in on those middle linebackers to make the bulk of their tackles," said Trevor Mueller, Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated's high school recruiting analyst.

 Mueller sees Latu as a high-tackle player on the order of former Husky linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven.

At Bethel, Latu was versatile enough to on offense to step in under center or split out wide as a receiver when needed.  In all, he scored 19 times on offense as a junior in 2019.  On defense, he demonstrated his versatility as a linebacker and safety.

Before the pandemic, Latu was a regular visitor to Montlake for unofficial trips and games.  On May 23, he announced his final four in Michigan, USC, Washington and Utah.

In gaining Latu's pledge, Washington was able to hold off a late push by Utah.  In all, Latu held offers from seven Pac-12 schools along with Michigan, Nebraska and Tennessee.