"What the hell are you doing?"
As the sun rises outside Jesuit High School, Keleki Latu is abruptly woken up.
"Get your ass up and let's go work out."
It's his brother Laiatu Latu's voice. Keleki had slept the night in the high school's weight room, forcing himself to be on his older brother's rigorous schedule — one that propelled Laiatu toward Division I football.
The Latu brothers were both players for Jesuit's varsity football team at the time, Laiatu a top 100 recruit in the nation, and Keleki battling to find playing time. Keleki envied his older brother's success, choosing to sleep in the weight room so that when his brother got there bright and early, he'd be right there with him.
Laiatu worked out every morning to improve his game, taking his younger brother under his wing to help him reach his potential. Watching as his older brother earned a scholarship to play football at the University of Washington, Keleki dedicated his time to the workout regimen, hitting the gym every morning at 6 a.m.
"He was a beast," Keleki said of Laiatu in high school. "I was jealous of that in a good way. I wanted to be just like him, so he could be proud of me."
The predawn workouts became the foundation of his approach to football, a mentality that followed him from high school to the NFL. Keleki knew he had plenty of room to grow and sought out as much help as he could as a high schooler.
"I asked my high school coach; I was like, 'What can I do?' Because I was very skinny at the time. I was like 180, 190 pounds," Keleki said with a laugh. "But yeah, I needed to get bigger."
Keleki got up to roughly 205 pounds after his mindset change in high school, but despite not reaching his goal of 250 pounds, he never stopped working.
Growing up, the Latu brothers spent most of their time playing defensive end, terrorizing high school quarterbacks in the Sacramento, CA area. Laiatu's efforts on the edge earned him the aforementioned Division I scholarship, but for Keleki, his path was different.
Adversity strikes the Latu brothers
Keleki didn't get a senior season during the pandemic in 2020, and most of his junior season tape available showcased him on the defensive side of the ball. Despite this, college recruiters took note of his now 6-foot-6, 205-pound frame, seeing the traits of a potentially dominant tight end.
The thought of fully switching over to the offensive side of the ball was nerve-wracking for the high schooler, but he took the challenge head on. Keleki had seen his brother "dominate at any position on the field," leaning on him for guidance through the position change.
With his brother's assistance, Keleki found that traits from his days on the defensive line carried over to tight end, helping him stand out and get the upper hand as he shifted his focus.
"I'm not afraid of contact," Keleki said of what he's taken from his days on defense. "I just feel as if when I see contact, I'm not going to shy away from it. But when you go to offense, you have to make some moves, or they're just going to hit you as hard as they can. But I feel like I'm not afraid."
Keleki used his newfound talents throughout the COVID year to earn a spot with a Division I program of his own. Committing to the University of California, Berkeley ahead of the 2021 season, the new tight end was ready to put his offseason grind on display.
Around the same time, his older brother was dealing with every football player's worst nightmare: a potential career-ending injury. A severe neck injury led doctors to advise him to medically retire.
But Keleki knew his idol wouldn't take no for an answer. Laiatu battled to get back on the field, using the work ethic he instilled in his younger brother to get medically cleared to play two years after being sidelined.
"He's relentless towards his choice. He doesn't give up," Keleki said. "… He has great standards that he holds upon himself, which I've tried to emulate."
Laiatu returned to the field like he never left and put together an impressive end to his college career. The Indianapolis Colts took notice and selected him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Keleki went undrafted in the 2025 Draft a year after his brother, signing with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent. It was now his turn to fight through his own adversity.
"Everyone goes through their own struggles in life, and that was his," Keleki said. "Mine is a different story, but no matter what, me and my brother adjust to any problems. We're never giving up. We love this game too much to sacrifice. We're just going to take any possible way we can get on the field."
Using the struggles as motivation
Keleki earned himself a spot on the Bills practice squad for the 2025 season after a standout camp. His coaches noticed the work ethic he inherited from his older brother, watching as he went above and beyond to set himself apart.
"Keleki used that past season [to develop], not just as a practice squad guy," head coach Joe Brady said. "Not like, 'I'm just on the practice squad, I'm not going to play…' He took advantage of it, staying after, doing what he had to do with [TE coach Rob Boras], living in the weight room. And then you saw that translate to the field."
Seeing his work rewarded only fueled Keleki further, as he continued to develop in meetings and improve his grasp of the mental side of the game. Despite being on the practice squad, the young tight end made sure to make the most of the opportunity to be in an NFL building.
"Every time in the classroom, I'm just learning. Even if I'm not in, I'm taking mental reps. Like if my coach is asking a question, I'm going to answer it in my head," Keleki said. "I want to be prepared at all times because you never know when it's going to be your turn to go on the field."
Buffalo suffered injuries at the tight end position in 2025, opening the door for Keleki to get the call-up to the active roster. He saw action in five games last season, finishing the year with four catches for 35 receiving yards.
Throughout the year, his focus was on filling out the weakest points of his game. His efforts to improve the non-flashy parts of his skill set again didn't go unnoticed, playing a big role in the Bills' roster decisions in 2026.
"The passing game was there last year, but I think this guy really focused on his play strength and his run blocking, being a more complete tight end," general manager Brandon Beane said. "He's a longer-levered guy, so it's easier for guys to get up under his pads, but he improved his leverage, his hands, his angles."
Having to decide which 53 players to bring into the regular season, Beane and Brady couldn't ignore the strides Keleki has made since showing up as a rookie. An impressive camp for the young tight end was complemented by six catches for 53 yards in the preseason.
For a team that has carried three tight ends on the 53-man roster for most years in recent memory, Keleki knew that the Bills carrying a fourth would be due to him forcing their hand.
His strong training camp and preseason did just that, and Buffalo chose to keep the 24-year-old on the active roster to prevent the chance of losing him to waivers.
"I was very grateful," Keleki said. "I didn't expect this to happen, but I'm ready for the challenge. This is only just the foot in the door, so I've got to prove myself.
"I didn't feel like it was real, to be honest. I feel like this was just a dream still. I just called my mom, called my girlfriend, texted my brother immediately, and just said 'I made it.' And then I was excited to see the guys coming back in the next day."
When roster decisions were finalized, his development and versatility made a compelling case for a spot.
"He had such a good offseason that led into training camp, and he was so solid and so consistent with what he's doing," Brady said. "He's a guy that can line up in a lot of different roles, and it brings more versatility to that tight end room."
Being in a room with so many different skill sets at the tight end position has done wonders for Keleki throughout his first two years in the league, learning different things from each one of the guys.
"I just looked at it as an opportunity to learn from the veterans," Keleki said. "Seeing how Dalton moves in the pass game, how Dawson [Knox] thinks mentally during the runs and his technique, and Jackson [Hawes], the way he blocks and he runs routes… I'm just trying to absorb everything at the same time; it just helps me out a lot."
Cementing a role in Buffalo
Keleki has been a seamless fit into the group, with his personality meshing perfectly with the rest of the guys. He's brought his Polynesian culture to the room, teaching his teammates about his Tongan roots. Their way of life is built on deep respect, strict social hierarchies and strong community ties.
The 24-year-old has helped grow the bond between the four, introducing them to Polynesian music, along with bringing snacks and games to play together. The tight ends have become so tight that the crew put together a group Halloween costume last year as Teletubbies.
Having three built-in role models that are willing to push him, as his brother has since back in the day, has been huge for Keleki in his development.
"I think the biggest thing is when any one of us makes a mistake, they know how to just erase it," Keleki said. "They just let it go, worry about the next play because that's all you can do. When you come up from the collegiate level to the NFL, it's fast-paced, and if you're really dwelling over the past mistakes, it's going to affect your game for the rest of the game.
Having the support of his fellow tight ends, Keleki has become increasingly confident in himself. That, paired with the countless hours in the classroom and hitting the weights, has put him in a spot where he has no doubts and can play free.
"That young man has come a long way from 12 months ago," Beane said. "I don't think he was nearly pushing for a roster spot coming out of the rookie camp, but he's just gotten better and better to the point that last season, we ended up expiring all his elevations… He's a guy that Josh Allen and all of his offensive teammates trust."
With the backing of his starting quarterback and front office, Keleki is set up for success for his first season on a 53-man roster.
"He's a guy that just continually puts his head down and works," Allen said. "He's never once complained about anything.
"I'll tell you what, he's as easy to throw to as anybody on this team. He's got a very, very big catch radius. He moves very fluently. I think he does a really good job in the run game as well. I'm very, very happy for him."
Keleki finally feels like he's reached the potential that Laiatu saw in him as a high schooler.
The brothers each dealt with their own paths to get to the NFL, never letting anything get in the way.
"He says he's very proud of me, and that makes me very, very happy," Keleki said. "… I wouldn't even honestly be here right now, without his help."
