Patu was born and raised in Seattle to a family of Samoan, Tongan, Fijian, German, and French background.
As a senior in 2000, Patu set a school record for single season tackles for loss with 21 and ranked third in the Pac-10 in sacks with eleven.
[4] Saul Patu signed a free agent contract in the National Football League for the New York Jets (2001) and spent time with the New England Patriots (2001) and Tennessee Titans (2001–2002) before signing a contract in the Arena Football League for the Colorado Crush (2003–2008).
[7][8] Then in 2020, Patu joined Capital Christian High School in Sacramento, California as head football coach and advancement director.
[9] After retiring from football, Patu also worked as a youth pastor, team chaplain for Oregon Ducks men's basketball, and as a manager at Symantec and Veritas Technologies.