He spent the past week in banquet halls collecting trophies, reluctantly making speeches and rubbing elbows with the game’s greats. Now UCLA’s star defensive end Laiatu Latu will step away from the spotlight.
The senior who won the Lombardi Award as the nation’s most outstanding lineman and the Hendricks Award as the top defensive end will not play in the L.A. Bowl, UCLA coach Chip Kelly said Monday. Instead the Pac-12 defensive player of the year will focus on finishing school and preparing for the NFL draft, where he is projected as a top pick.