Where the Laney Eagle Players in Last Chance U Are Now
Warning: the following story contains spoilers for the fifth season of Netflix's Last Chance U.
Like any good sports documentary, the fifth season of Netflix’s Last Chance U is a Trojan horse: it rides out of the tunnel showing football and then opens into a story about everything but athletics. In the case of this season: urban renewal and gentrification of Oakland (and with it, the plight of local students in a junior college program unable to provide local housing), the cost of ambition, the divides of family, and a higher education system wherein the only financial hope for struggling workers and families is for an 18-year-old to catch a ball on a Friday night.
It’s this final obstacle that provides most of the drama for the series. As in previous seasons, the series’ focus is not on D1 NCAA college athletics, but rather junior college (JuCo) football teams—programs that not only compete for national titles, but also have the secondary task of shepherding their players on to college scholarships. Players go to JuCo schools for this reason: to showcase their talent to football recruiters who initially passed them by—because of grades, because of recruitment oversight, because the player just wasn’t ready.
Netflix chose the Laney College Eagles for this go-around, because the team had just come off an 11-2 miracle season where they won the national championship. They also chose Laney because of coach John Beam, the “godfather of football in Oakland.” (This season was Beam’s 40th coaching Oakland football.) Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn’t overcome early stumbles in the 2019 season, and though they were 4-1 in conference play, their 6-4 overall record put them just outside playoff contention.
But as the season ended, the real game began: college recruitment. For many players, this game would decide both their athletic future and their immediate professional opportunities.
Here’s where all the featured Laney Eagles players ended up.
#66 Nu’u Taugavau
Taugavau is the first player we meet in season five, and he will likely be a fan favorite. His struggle to finish school, play football, and ultimately be a good father is one of the most unique stories of the entire series.
The final episode notes that Taugavau received a scholarship from Murray State University in Kentucky, where he, his wife and their two daughters moved. His first game is scheduled for early September, though college football seasons are likely to move back due to COVID. We'll have to wait a bit longer to see if Taugavau makes the start for the Racers.
#2 Rejzohn Wright
After some early deliberation, defensive back Rejzohn Wright accepted an offer from Oregon State, where his brother and former Laney alum also currently plays. Netflix said Wright would be competing for a starting spot to play opposite his brother.
Wright had been ranked no. 5 nationally for junior cornerbacks. He will be pursuing a degree in sociology while at Oregon.
The Beavers are scheduled to open their season against Washington State at the end of September.
#4 Dior Walker-Scott
Toward the end of the season, we see Walker-Scott in Hawaii under lockdown. Walker-Scott decided to attend the University of Hawaii and play as a walk on, hoping to then earn a D1 scholarship. However, Walker-Scott doesn't appear to be on Hawaii's spring football roster. The first game is scheduled for late September.
#6 RJ Stern
Netflix notes that Stern signed a scholarship offer from Tennessee's Tusculum University. The Pioneers aren't scheduled to begin their first game until late September, having delayed all fall sports two weeks.
Coach John Beam
John Beam will return as Laney's head coach. California, however, announced that fall junior college sports will be delayed until spring 2021. When Beam returns to the gridiron it will be his 41st year as a coach.
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