Frankie Luvu

American football player (born 1996)

American football player

Frankie Luvu

Luvu with the New York Jets in 2019

No. 4 – Washington Commanders

Position:

Linebacker

Personal information

Born:

(1996-09-19) September 19, 1996 (age 27)
Tafuna, American Samoa

Height:

6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

Weight:

236 lb (107 kg)

Career information

High school:

Tafuna (Tafuna, American Samoa)

College:

Washington State (2014–2017)

Undrafted:

2018

Career history

New York Jets (2018–2020)
Carolina Panthers (2021–2023)
Washington Commanders (2024–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career NFL statistics as of 2023

Tackles:	338
Sacks:	20
Forced fumbles:	5
Fumble recoveries:	3
Interceptions:	1
Touchdowns:	1

Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Frankie Luvu (/ˈluːvuː/ LOO-voo; born September 19, 1996) is an American football linebacker for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A native of American Samoa, he played college football at Washington State before signing with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Luvu became a fulltime starter upon joining the Carolina Panthers in 2021.

Early life and college

Luvu was born on September 19, 1996, in Tafuna, American Samoa.^[1] He moved to the United States in 2013 to play college football for the Cougars at Washington State University.^[1]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 2+1⁄8 in (1.88 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m)	9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m)	4.84 s	1.70 s	2.80 s	4.26 s	7.03 s	29.5 in (0.75 m)	9 ft 2 in (2.79 m)	21 reps
All values from Pro Day^[2]^[3]

New York Jets

Luvu was signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2018.^[4] He was waived on September 1, 2018, and was signed to the practice squad the next day.^[5]^[6] He was promoted to the active roster on September 8, 2018.^[7] On October 14, 2019, Luvu was waived by the Jets and re-signed to the practice squad.^[8] He was promoted to the active roster on November 1, 2019.^[9] Luvu re-signed with the Jets on April 23, 2020.^[10] He was placed on injured reserve on October 20, 2020, with a groin injury.^[11] He was activated on November 21, 2020.^[12]

Carolina Panthers

Luvu signed with the Carolina Panthers on March 23, 2021.^[13] He entered the season as a backup linebacker and core special teamer. He played in 16 games with four starts, recording 43 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and a blocked punt.

On February 17, 2022, Luvu signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers.^[14] On October 2, 2022, Luvu recorded his first career interception and touchdown against Kyler Murray in a loss against the Arizona Cardinals.^[15] In 2023, Luvu earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 8 after recording 12 tackles, two for a loss, two pass breakups and a sack.^[16]

Washington Commanders

On March 14, 2024, Luvu signed a three-year, $36 million contract with the Washington Commanders.^[17]^[18]

Statistics

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions						Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Comb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Sfty	PD	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FF	FR	TD
2018	NYJ	14	1	22	17	5	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2019	NYJ	13	0	12	10	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2020	NYJ	13	3	25	17	8	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
2021	CAR	16	4	43	26	17	1.5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0
2022	CAR	15	14	111	76	35	7	0	4	1	33	33	33	1	1	0	0
2023	CAR	17	17	125	66	59	5.5	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
Career		8	39	338	212	126	20	1	12	1	33	33	33	1	5	3	0

Personal life

Of Samoan descent, Luvu is the youngest of eight children born to Veresa, former Fiji national rugby union team player, and Faaloiloia Luvu.^[19]^[20] He was born a U.S. national due to the status of American Samoa and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in August 2023.^[1] Luvu's parents still live in American Samoa, with them attending their first NFL game in 2022.^[21]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Fowler, Scott. "Quizzes on a treadmill: The long journey to US citizenship for Panthers' Frankie Luvu". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
^ "2018 Draft Scout Frankie Luvu, Washington State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^ "Frankie Luvu 2018 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved December 5, 2022.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (May 4, 2018). "Jets Sign Seven Undrafted Free Agents". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
^ Lange, Randy (September 1, 2018). "Final Cutdown: Jets Reach 53-Player Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 2, 2018). "Jets Sign Four Players to Their Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved September 15, 2018.
^ Allen, Eric (September 8, 2018). "Jets Promote OLB Luvu to Active Roster, Waive FB Thomas". NewYorkJets.com.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (October 14, 2019). "Jets TE Chris Herndon Returns to Roster". NewYorkJets.com.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 1, 2019). "Jets Sign LB Frankie Luvu, Place LB Blake Cashman on IR". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (April 23, 2020). "Jets Sign 4 Exclusive Rights Free Agents". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (October 20, 2020). "Jets Place OLB Frankie Luvu on IR". NewYorkJets.com.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 21, 2020). "Jets Activate OLB Frankie Luvu from Injured Reserve, Place CB Bless Austin on IR". NewYorkJets.com.
^ Gantt, Darin (March 23, 2021). "Panthers sign linebacker Frankie Luvu". Panthers.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
^ Gantt, Darin (February 17, 2022). "Panthers extend linebacker Frankie Luvu". Panthers.com.
^ "Cardinals 26-16 Panthers (Oct 2, 2022) Final Score". ESPN. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
^ Gordon, Grant (November 1, 2023). "Bengals QB Joe Burrow, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com.
^ "Commanders sign LB Frankie Luvu". Commanders.com. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
^ Alper, Josh (March 11, 2024). "Frankie Luvu agrees to sign with Commanders". Retrieved March 15, 2024.
^ Gantt, Darin. "Signing with a heavy heart". Panthers.com. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
^ "NFL Cougs: Erik Coleman loves what he's seeing from Frankie Luvu". 247sports. December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
^ Brown, DaShawn. "After traveling more than 5,000 miles, Frankie Luvu's father attends first NFL game". WSOC-TV. Retrieved March 23, 2024.