Laulu embracing role change heading into season

Jul 26, 2023
When Oklahoma defensive lineman Jonah Laulu thinks back to last season, there were opportunities where the redshirt senior wished could’ve been more productive.
In particular, Laulu wanted to be more aggressive. For the Hawaii transfer, that goes beyond his mentality when he gets on the field.
So when Laulu came back to campus in January after a quick postseason break, he worked with OU director of sports enhancement and strength and conditioning coach Jerry Schmidt. With the help of a nutritionist, Laulu mapped out his plan for the offseason.
“That guy is the definition of intense and aggressive,” Laulu said about Schmidt.
When Laulu arrived in Norman a year ago, he weighed about 260 pounds. The Sooners saw potential for Laulu playing in the middle of the defense line.
But coming off a Covid-shortened season the year before in The Aloha State, Laulu wasn’t able to work out for weeks before showing up in Norman. Laulu was listed at 265 on the Sooners’ official roster last season, and was a similar weight by the end of the year.
“I met with my nutritionist, got a meal plan going and I gained 30 pounds basically since January until now,” Laulu said. “That transition into the interior, I needed to gain that weight, because you can’t be playing (nose guard) weighing 260 (pounds), because you’ll get thrown around and get thrown out the club.”
Entering his final season with the Sooners, Laulu says he’s up to 293 pounds. Even better, the Las Vegas native says he’s feeling faster than he did when he was lighter.
“I think I was supposed to be this big this whole time,” he said. “I had to let go of that dream of dropping back and getting a pick, which I did, but it’s been a great transition for sure.”
Laulu saw his role steadily increase as the season progressed. He made appearances in all 13 games with three starts, including the final two games of the season against Texas Tech and Florida State.
He finished with 20 total tackles and had 5.5 tackles for loss including sacks against Nebraska and Oklahoma State. The former ended up being his biggest game of the year, finishing with five tackles including two tackles for loss.
With the Sooners leading 14-0 early in the game, Laulu dropped back into coverage on a third-and-one and caught a deflected pass for an interception. Laulu showecased off his athleticism
on the play, following his blockers down the right sideline before tumbling out of bounds a half-yard shy of the endzone.
Though Laulu said he’s happy with his transition into the interior of the defensive line, but joked that he’s going to miss having opportunities to drop back and intercept passes.
“We moved him inside where he can play faster,” OU head coach Brent Venables said at Big 12 media days. “The game is actually easier. It’s tough and physical, but things happen faster inside as opposed to outside. There has been a transformation. Him moving to that group has made that group better through competition and leadership, value system and toughness. He’s a great teammate. There are a lot of ways he’s made that inside position better, more accountable.”