The countdown to kickoff for the University of Utah is now down to 70 days, and it’s time to talk about a Lotulelei. The Lotulelei family has been huge for the Utes’ success, with Star excelling in the NFL and Lowell having an NFL opportunity before deciding he no longer had the desire to play football. Their cousin, Hunter, now wears no. 70 for the Utes.
Hunter was a highly-regarded defensive lineman in high school before he decided as a prep standout that he wanted to focus on being an offensive lineman for the next level. He served a LDS mission starting in 2018 and has been back with Utah for two years, but has yet to see the field. This fall will be crucial for him to find a spot in the two-deep because it’s a young and talented offensive line.
UteNation Take
Much like his cousins before him, Hunter knows how to play with power, but that was at the high school level. Those skills have yet to translate in college.
Will Lotulelei live up to the family name as a player that will move the line of scrimmage and play downhill? In high school, he played with a chip on his shoulder and finished blocks at the second level. Getting low and playing with a solid pad level is no problem for him. Again though, that was at the high school which he’s four years removed from.
Currently, there are no plans to move him to the defensive side of the ball, which if there was, could eventually turn out to be a wise move for him. He initially chose to focus on the offensive side, so he could build his own identity away from his family name. That being said, Hunter is still a redshirt freshman thanks to his mission, the pandemic year, and officially redshirting in 2021. The 2022 season is crucial for him to cement his status as a key cog in the offensive line rotation.
Remembering Lotulelei’s recruitment
It seems like forever ago that Hunter Lotulelei was offered a scholarship to attend the University of Utah, during the All-Poly, and practically committed on the spot. I wish there was something more intriguing about his recruitment, but he was a longtime commitment as the 2018 4-star offensive guard committed back in June of 2016.
