Laiatu Latu once watched football videos on YouTube to teach himself the game to replicate what he saw in his own training. Now, the roles have switched; videos of the defensive end's training sessions are now being posted on social media for current aspiring football players to watch. And it's largely thanks to Eddy McGilvra.
Latu has been working with the private defensive line and edge coach since he transferred to UCLA in 2022; McGilvra was conducting offseason training at the school's facilities with one of his veteran players who requested that Latu join in on a session. Never one to turn down a college player, McGilvra said "Why not?" He quickly realized, however, that Latu wasn't just another college player.
"He had us jaw-dropped," McGilvra said in an interview with Larra Overton on this week's Official Colts Podcast. "I grabbed him aside and I was like, 'Hey, man, keep doing what you're doing because you got a bright future."
McGilvra was right, and now the two are working together just months before Latu begins his rookie season in the NFL with the Colts. Latu isn't the only Colts player McGilvra works with, though. Dayo Odeyingbo, Samson Ebukam, Adetomiwa Adebawore and Kwity Paye also partake in his training sessions and are featured on his social media platforms.
Because of McGilvra, Paye and Latu already knew of each other before Latu was even drafted by the Colts. When Latu was selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Paye said the addition of the rookie meant the Colts were going to become the "best defensive line in the NFL." And that's no small statement from someone who, according to McGilvra, has had the best offseason, mentally and physically, of any veterans he's trained.
For the full interview with more insight into Latu, Paye and the rest of the Colts' defense download the Official Colts Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
