Oklahoma football lands defensive end transfer from Hawaii

Oklahoma football has earned a commitment from Hawaii defensive end transfer Jonah La’ulu. The redshirt junior has spent the past two seasons as a starter for the Rainbow Warriors.

He joined the roster in 2018 as a three-star recruit according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. A native of Las Vegas, he also had interest from UNLV.

La’ulu set career highs across the board this season, finishing with 33 tackles (eight for loss) and four sacks. Throughout his career with Hawaii, he has recorded 70 tackles (19 for loss) and eight sacks.

The Rainbow Warriors finished this past year with a 6-7 record. They were scheduled to face Memphis in the Hawaii Bowl, but that game was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

The defensive end is the fourth transfer player to join the Oklahoma roster this offseason under Brent Venables. The Sooners have also received commitments from quarterback Dillon Gabriel (UCF), offensive lineman McKade Mettauer (California) and tight end Daniel Parker Jr. (Missouri).

Venables, the former Clemson defensive coordinator, took over for Oklahoma in the offseason following the departure of Lincoln Riley. He inherits a team that finished the 2021 season with an 11-2 record and Alamo Bowl victory against Oregon.

Although the Sooners have added a great number of players from the transfer portal, they have also lost their fair share. On Monday, starting quarterback Caleb Williams announced his intention to explore other options by entering the transfer portal. Although Williams didn’t completely rule out returning to Norman, it seems more than likely the No. 1 player in the class of 2021 won’t be back.

With the bowl game over and focus shifting to recruiting, the Brent Venables era is officially underway at Oklahoma. The Sooners open the 2022 season against UTEP on Sept. 3 in Norman.