3-star EDGE Anelu Lafaele announces top seven schools

Honolulu (Hi.) St. Louis three-star EDGE Anelu Lafaele holds 20 offers. He is ready to cut down that list by more than half.

Lafaele made that news official Wednesday by announcing his top seven schools. Wisconsin, Washington, Arizona State, Oregon State, Notre Dame, Utah and Hawaii made the cut.

“It’s a lot of relief,” Lafaele told On3. “Now, I can focus on the seven schools that I have the intention of attending.”

Lafaele shared that while he is considering all of his finalists, Arizona State, Washington and Wisconsin are currently leading for his commitment. He hopes to reveal his college destination in late June or early July.

At the moment, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound pass rusher has scheduled official visits to the Badgers (June 3), Fighting Irish (June 12) and Huskies (June 24). The Sun Devils are another program in contention for one of his remaining officials.

Both Arizona State and Oregon State received unofficial visits from Lafaele last month. He has also been to Washington, Wisconsin and Utah unofficially.

“This is to let the coaches know that this is my top seven,” said Lafaele, the No. 390 overall prospect and No. 30 EDGE in the 2024 On3 Industry Ranking.

Lafaele felt like ‘home’ on his recent visit to Washington

Washington last hosted Lafaele on March 31. The Huskies made a very positive impression on the three-star during his first time in Seattle.

While at Washington, Lafaele toured the school, stadium and campus, as well as sat in on a position meeting and did a photo shoot. He also spoke one-on-one with special teams coordinator/EDGEs coach Eric Schmidt, who made a slideshow describing the Huskies’ plan for Lafaele.

“They made me feel like it was home,” Lafaele said. “I felt like I could play there. It was different because most of the colleges, they’re recruiting me as a field-side linebacker, but Washington is recruiting me as a strong-side end.”

Lafaele enjoyed his talk with Smith, who told him about the way Washington operates and how the Huskies can prepare him for the NFL Draft. The Hawaii native also caught up with defensive line coach Inoke Breckterfield at practice and learned more about how Washington’s players win in the trenches.

Before Lafaele left campus, he also spent time with head coach Kalen DeBoer.

“They’re coming off a great record, a great season and they feel like they can bounce back,” Lafaele said of DeBoer’s message to him. “He was telling me that their EDGE room, a lot of them are about to be seniors, so it could be my chance to step up and take the spot.”

When Lafaele returns for his official, he is excited to learn more about Washington’s academic offerings. The Huskies’ staff also told him they would go on a boat ride on Lake Washington.

At the moment, Lafaele is feeling like a priority to Washington. That only helps the Huskies, who are currently one of his top contenders.

“It was electric,” Lafaele said. “They have NFL-caliber players and it’s a place that can get you to the next level.”

Lafaele breaks down his other six finalists

Arizona State: “I love the way they’re pushing for me and the new coaching staff, I feel like it could be awesome to play for them. The atmosphere is great and it’s close to home.”

Hawaii: “Hawaii’s awesome. It’s home. I’d love to stay home and be a hometown hero and get the love from all the people here.”

Notre Dame: “Coach (Marcus) Freeman, I like the way he talks to me and how he pushes for me. It’s a lot and I love that it’s coming from the head coach.”

Oregon State: “Coach Legi (Suiaunoa)‘s made a great impression on me. Just the way he talks about the game and how he knows it, that’s something that’s really important to me.”

Utah: “Coach (Lewis) Powell was the first person to ever recruit me. He’s been talking to me for a long time. For Utah to be my first offer, it was just amazing.”

Wisconsin: “I went up there for the Maryland game and it was awesome. Nick Herbig, he really made it feel like it was home. Ever since that trip, it’s been one of my favorite schools.”