Samuel Lateju, a fast-rising prospect, is the reason Wisconsin is courting him again by traveling to the East Coast.
And yet here he was, taking a chance and believing that combining academics and football at an East Coast boarding school was the right move. Lateju remarked, “I was new to everything—new to America, new to the food.” “I was processing everything so quickly. I found it challenging at first.
It was unclear at the time of Lateju’s football playing abilities. He had been on a coed flag football team in Nigeria for a year, where players of various ages played seven-on-seven flag football. Napoleon Sykes Jr., the football coach at Lawrenceville, first became aware of Lateju after a friend sent a little clip of the player collecting passes in a park. The friend also mentioned that Lateju had decent grades and would like to play for a school in the United States. Lawrenceville has a large number of international students, and Sykes welcomed him.
No one, including Lateju, could have predicted how fast he would take to the game and develop into a legitimate high-level college football prospect. He started his sophomore year on the junior varsity squad, but by the conclusion of the season, he had defeated the team’s best outside linebacker to start on the varsity squad. He was a deadly stand-up edge rusher who could burst off the snap, shove offensive guards back, or pursue ball carriers across the field because to his strong work ethic and natural agility.
After receiving twelve scholarship offers, Lateju made his pledge to Wisconsin’s 2025 recruiting class public on Monday, one and a half years later. Several colleges offered scholarships to the 6-foot-5, 230-pound outside linebacker, including Boston College, Duke, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Temple, Wake Forest, and West Virginia.
Sykes remarked, “Sam is a young man who is truly appreciative of the things that come to him.” Many claim to be fortunate to have this opportunity. However, Sam is aware of the magnitude of his blessings in life. And for that reason, he’s an excellent teammate. It’s what makes him a truly exceptional player. That’s quite neat because it keeps him grounded and concentrated on the important issue. He’s only now beginning to explore his full potential.
The fact that Lateju was so fresh to the game and didn’t have many poor habits as a player contributed to his high ceiling and attraction to college recruiters. He is an example of Wisconsin’s ongoing efforts to add more long, athletic defenders who can shut down throwing lanes and wreak havoc in the backfield.
Lateju remarked, “They say I play like I’m hungry for something.” “I am a physical being. I possess both the length and the athleticism. I have a lot of potential because football is new to me and can help me grow. They’re merely ecstatic.
Lateju, who made his first visit to Madison last month on a junior day, has committed to Wisconsin’s 2025 class, making him the eighth overall prospect. He is ranked as a three-star prospect by the 247Sports Composite, No. 46 among edge rushers, and No. 22 among players in New Jersey. Torin Pettaway, a defensive lineman, committed to Wisconsin for the ninth time on Thursday. In the class, the Badgers have advanced significantly early on; at this point, only four universities nationwide have more commitments for 2025 than the Badgers have.
Lateju, who played basketball and soccer as a child, has demonstrated an amazing capacity for quick learning. He claimed that during practices, he paid close attention and made mental notes of his teammates’ good and bad behavior. At first, Lateju found it difficult to retain outside leverage in order to control an offensive player. He didn’t have the required discipline; he just ran as quickly as he could to the ball every time. But last fall, during his junior season, things started to come together.
He played quickly, physically, and intelligently. He started to pick up on alignment reading and knew when to attack offensive tackles or block tight ends. Lateju was able to let teammates know what he observed during plays. His significant weight gain over the previous year didn’t hurt either. Sykes calculated that Lateju, who reclassified and played a second season after coming to the US, weighed about 185 pounds during his first Lawrenceville campaign.
Sykes, a former Wake Forest linebacker who has coached at Charlotte and the Navy, described him as “a really good athlete.” His ability to get off the ball is therefore excellent. He’s got great speed. And then I believe what he does very well is use his length. In the run game, that’s being able to post up a tackle and have outside leverage and having a long arm to keep contain.
“Or it’s doing the same thing in the pass rush game, which is being able to use some long arm stuff, get quarterbacks, and get your hand up in a passing window to get guys to pull the ball down. Some people, you have to really encourage them to use their length, and he instinctively does that.”
Lateju stated that he is always learning more about how to play his position and that he frequently watches YouTube videos of his favorite NFL players, such as former Badgers All-American defensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and outside linebacker T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“I see moves that I’m like, ‘Oh, shoot, I’ve got to start practicing this,’” Lateju added. “And then I’m on the field, I’m like, ‘Oh, I’ve got to try this.’ Football right now is still so much pleasure to me. I’m not worn out about it. It’s still thrilling. I have so much to learn. Right now, I can’t even make out the roof.”
Wisconsin has had recruiting success at Lawrenceville in its 2024 class by signing safety Raphael Dunn, whom Lateju named his best friend. That bond played a part in Lateju’s choice to join Wisconsin, however he said Dunn made it plain that Lateju should evaluate all possibilities to decide the best match for him. Wisconsin is where Lateju made it, and he has a lot of opportunities ahead of him.
“I’m just in love with football,” Lateju remarked. “I consider it a huge plus that I can attend college for free. For the next four years, I won’t have to worry about anything, and even after that, I’ll be prepared for life beyond Wisconsin since I can work at whatever job I want. Simply put, that excites me more.