Cameron Latu

Last updated

Cameron Latu
No. 81 – San Francisco 49ers
Position: Tight end
Personal information
Born: (2000-02-24) February 24, 2000 (age 24)
Chisholm, Minnesota, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:244 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school: Olympus
(Holladay, Utah)
College: Alabama (2018–2022)
NFL draft: 2023  / Round: 3 / Pick: 101
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com  ·  PFR

Cameron Latu (born February 24, 2000) is an American football tight end for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama.

Contents

Early years

Latu was born in Chisholm, Minnesota to Jillene Argust-Fine and Viliami Latu. He has a fraternal twin brother named Nathan, who plays football at Oklahoma State at defensive end. [1] , and an older brother, Sioka. Growing up, he initially played football, basketball and track and field. [2] His family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 2013, and he attended Olympus High School. [3]

As a junior, he recorded 65 tackles with 20 tackles for loss and nine sacks on defense as well as 14 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball, helping lead the team to a 8–3 record and playoff berth. [4] He had originally committed to play at BYU along with his identical twin brother but reopened his commitment after a senior year where he had 45 tackles with 8 tackles for loss and 3 sacks on defense and 10 catches for 168 yards and 1 touchdown, 5 rushes for 34 yards rushing on offense and a kick return for 75 yards on special teams. [5] Latu committed to play college football at Alabama over offers from Nebraska, USC, Utah, and 19 other schools. [6]

College career

In 2018, Latu redshirted his true freshman season after playing in two games and recording a tackle in his college debut vs Louisville. [7]

In 2019, Latu moved positions from linebacker to tight end before his redshirt freshman season to add much needed depth for the Crimson Tide. [8] Latu would see time in 11 games, mostly on special teams.

In 2020, Latu played primarily on special teams, and began to carve out a role at tight end as a redshirt sophomore, playing in 12 games. [9]

In 2021, Latu was named the Crimson Tide's starting tight end going into his redshirt junior season. Latu caught three passes for 43 yards with two touchdowns in a 44–13 win over Miami in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. [10] [11] Against Southern Miss, Latu scored a touchdown by standing in the end zone and picking up a ball fumbled by John Metchie. [12] Latu would finish his redshirt junior season with a strong showing against Georgia in the College Football Championship game with a career high five catches for 102 yards and one touchdown after Jameson Williams went down with a knee injury. [13]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+3⁄8 in
(1.94 m)		242 lb
(110 kg)		32+3⁄8 in
(0.82 m)		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		4.78 s1.66 s2.69 s4.32 s7.31 s32.5 in
(0.83 m)		10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		14 reps
Sources: [14] [15]

Latu was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round, 101st overall, of the 2023 NFL draft. [16] Latu suffered a torn meniscus during week 3 of the preseason and was placed on injured reserve on August 29, 2023, effectively ending his first season in the NFL. [17] [18]

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References

  1. ↑ Hutchens, Ben (September 15, 2023). "OSU's Nathan Latu is a football twin charting his own path". Sellout Crowd. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  2. ↑ Hall, Erik (September 10, 2021). "Cameron Latu: 3 things to know about the Alabama Crimson Tide football tight end". The Tuscaloosa News . Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  3. ↑ Phibbs, Trevor (September 30, 2016). "Prep football: Olympus' Latu brothers are identical twins with distinctly different identities". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  4. ↑ Champlin, Drew (August 4, 2021). "4-star Utah DE Cameron Latu commits to Alabama". AL.com . Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  5. ↑ Zenitz, Matt (May 23, 2018). "Rugby has helped 4-star LB prepare for Alabama". AL.com . Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  6. ↑ Lee, Maddie (August 4, 2017). "Prep football: Olympus defensive end Cameron Latu chooses Alabama". The Salt Lake Tribune . Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  7. ↑ Turner, Megan (August 24, 2021). "Alabama may have a new weapon at tight end". FoxNews.com . Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  8. ↑ Tsoukalas, Tony (August 25, 2021). "TideIllustrated - Cameron Latu offers optimism for an Alabama tight end unit facing turmoil". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  9. ↑ Hollowell, Kendell (April 4, 2021). "Cameron Latu Is Off To a Strong Start This Spring". Tide 100.9. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  10. ↑ McDonald, Ryan (September 4, 2021). "Alabama football: What Nick Saban said about Cameron Latu after Miami game". Deseret News . Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  11. ↑ Spurr, AJ (September 4, 2021). "WATCH: Cameron Latu breaks tackles, hits nasty stiff arm en route to endzone". Yahoo! Sports . Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  12. ↑ Spurr, AJ (September 26, 2021). "WATCH: Cameron Latu picks up football in end zone, scores touchdown". Roll Tide Wire. USA Today. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  13. ↑ Coles, Joe (January 11, 2022). "Utahn Cameron Latu scores a touchdown in college football national championship game". Deseret News. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Cameron Latu Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  15. ↑ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Cameron Latu College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
  16. ↑ McDonald, Briana (April 29, 2023). "49ers Select TE Cameron Latu with the No. 101 Pick in the 2023 NFL Draft". 49ers.com. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  17. ↑ Smoot, Brody (August 30, 2023). "San Francisco 49ers place former Alabama tight end Cameron Latu on Injured Reserve". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  18. ↑ "49ers Announce Moves for Initial 53-Man Roster". 49ers.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
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