'21 HI LB Kahanu Kia (Notre Dame Signee)

BobbyMac · Oct 16, 2020

LB -- maybe a Vyper down the road?
Honolulu, HI
Punahou HS

Measurements:
Height: 6-2
Weight: 220

Rankings:
247 Comp: ..... 3* ..... #72 OLB ..... #1138 OA ..... .8466 rating
247: ............... 3* ..... #56 OLB ............................ 86
Rivals: ............ 3* ................................................ 5.5
ESPN: ............. NR

Rankings 11-19-20:
247 Comp: ..... 3* ..... #74 OLB ..... #1162 OA ..... .8466 rating
247: ............... 3* ..... #61 OLB ............................ 86
Rivals: ............ 3* ................................................ 5.5
ESPN: ............. NR

Offers:
Notre Dame ........ Offered 9-1-20 ..... Committed 11-19-20
Zona
Colo
Dartmouth
Fresno
Hawaii
Princeton
SDSU
Stanford
UCLA
UNLV
Utah
Utah St
Wazzu

Media Links:

Twitter = https://twitter.com/kahanukia

Hudl = https://www.hudl.com/profile/9628208/Kahanu-Kia

Highlights:

<iframe src='//www.hudl.com/embed/video/3/9628208/5dc1c8c0d468bc1074efe61e' width='640' height='360' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe>

BobbyMac · Oct 16, 2020

Sounds like it's down to ND and Utah. Dad played at Utah and they are LDS.

Planning on taking his Mission after HS so he would join team in 2023.

Has had his ND offer pinned since the start of September

Will unofficial visit next month.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wow!! I am so grateful to have received an offer from NOTRE DAME!!! Thank you Heavenly Father!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/hardworkpaysoff?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#hardworkpaysoff</a> <a href="https://t.co/9laeUu3DcG">pic.twitter.com/9laeUu3DcG</a></p>— Kahanu Kia (@KahanuKia) <a href="https://twitter.com/KahanuKia/status/1300987420054233088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 2, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">2021 Punahou (Hawaii) LB Kahanu Kia (<a href="https://twitter.com/KahanuKia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KahanuKia</a>) Planning Notre Dame Visit<br><br>"We've been watching every game and Notre Dame is looking super impressive right now." <a href="https://t.co/ojtkoja6pj">https://t.co/ojtkoja6pj</a></p>— Matt Freeman (@mattfreemanISD) <a href="https://twitter.com/mattfreemanISD/status/1316719047053053953?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

tko · Oct 16, 2020

Kid will pull a Chris Badger and that 215 will end up being 165 lbs. Chris Badger had one of the best highlight films LOL.

GoldenToTheGrave · Oct 16, 2020

All the Hawaiians.

Wingman Ray · Oct 16, 2020

Has ND had any luck with the players leaving for the two year mission and coming back to really contribute? I recall a DB or similar a few years back that went but came back scrawny and never really did much. Or is my memory just garbage?

fightingirish26 · Oct 16, 2020

tko said:
Kid will pull a Chris Badger and that 215 will end up being 165 lbs. Chris Badger had one of the best highlight films LOL.

yeah, hard pass

T-Boone · Oct 16, 2020

let him transfer in if he has a good 2023 at Utah.

calvegas04 · Oct 16, 2020

Would be best for him to go to Utah since they deal with the whole mission thing more often.

317Irish · Oct 16, 2020

Lol at this thread

SouthSideChiDomer · Oct 16, 2020

317Irish said:
Lol at this thread

Right? Give me all the mission guys. One reason Utah and BYU and probably always so sneaky good is because they got a bunch of 24 & 25 y/o guys on the roster. Plus then you have to worry less about freshman immaturity.

Luckylucci · Oct 16, 2020

He only counts as a scholarship while he’s on campus so I don’t see the harm in having him commit. He’s not taking a spot. If he never makes it, he never makes it.

fightingirish26 · Oct 17, 2020

We are supposed to want an LDS kid who doesn't even have a BYU offer? lol come on.

BobbyMac · Oct 17, 2020

fightingirish26 said:
We are supposed to want an LDS kid who doesn't even have a BYU offer? lol come on.

His Dad being a standout DE at Utah probably had something to do with that.

NDPhilly · Oct 17, 2020

tko said:
Kid will pull a Chris Badger and that 215 will end up being 165 lbs. Chris Badger had one of the best highlight films LOL.

Chris Badger had about 15 plays on that highlight tape that would have been targeting today. One of the most fun tapes I’ve watched.

tko · Oct 17, 2020

NDPhilly said:
Chris Badger had about 15 plays on that highlight tape that would have been targeting today. One of the most fun tapes I’ve watched.

Huntin!!!!!

GrangerIrish24 · Nov 10, 2020

Mike Singer with the future caste

BobbyMac · Nov 10, 2020

BTW, someone said in the past few days that they expect him to play in '21, not '23.

I was sorta diggin' the mission on this one.

NewEnglandGuy · Nov 10, 2020

Good weekend to be in town to make an impression even without ability to take an official.

Notre Dame toppled previously No. 1 ranked Clemson 47-40 in double overtimes — arguably the biggest victory of the Brian Kelly era. Kia was thrilled to be in town during the game.

https://notredame.rivals.com/news/t...-kahanu-kia-recaps-multi-day-notre-dame-visit

https://irishsportsdaily.com/s/13520/2021-lb-kahanu-kia-blown-away-by-notre-dame-visit

And Loy had a freebee recruiting chat a few weeks ago where he mentioned the staff favoring immediate matriculation instead of the two year break during the LDS mission

I believe the best bet to make a decision in the near future would be three-star linebacker / defensive end Kahanu Kia, who could announce a commitment at the end of November after visits to Utah, Notre Dame and UCLA. I could see the Irish winning that battle. The Fighting Irish would like him to visit and maybe even commit immediately just like fellow Hawaiian Marist Liufau once did. For Kia, the staff would love to land him and get him on campus right away as a freshman rather than taking a mission trip. But there is still plenty left to be determined there.

https://247sports.com/ContentGaller...s-from-insider-Tom-Loy-153231974/#153231974_1

zelezo vlk · Nov 10, 2020

Linebacker/DE? I didn't know he was considered a possible DE

Sherm Sticky · Nov 10, 2020

zelezo vlk said:
Linebacker/DE? I didn't know he was considered a possible DE

At 6’2” 215 lbs I would project him at wde. But if he goes on a mission throw that out the window.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

NDIrish88 · Nov 10, 2020

NDCrusader said:
BTW, someone said in the past few days that they expect him to play in '21, not '23.

I was sorta diggin' the mission on this one.

If he plays LB I'll take it in 21

rtrn2glory · Nov 10, 2020

i'll be interested to see how choosey we get down the stretch if we keep playing well.

Cackalacky2.0 · Nov 10, 2020

Who was the last LDS kid we gave a scholarship to who went on a mission and then came back and transferred to BYU sucking up a scholarship for 3 years. I cant remember his name.

Anyway, consider me in the coaches camp here. No way I want a kid going off to a third world country, and not bein gable to bulk up and eat and train and then come back and expect to compete with top 5 teams. nuh uh. Come and stay or not at all IMO.

Pops Freshenmeyer · Nov 10, 2020

Cackalacky2.0 said:
Who was the last LDS kid we gave a scholarship to who went on a mission and then came back and transferred to BYU sucking up a scholarship for 3 years. I cant remember his name.

You're thinking of Chris Badger.

EDIT: and he ended up just being a special teams guy there. So I think we can chalk that one up as a guy who saw the writing on the wall as far as the depth chart was concerned. IIRC, his mission was to a place where he couldn't really keep up with his nutrition and fitness.

zelezo vlk · Nov 10, 2020

I actually think that kids on Mission don't count against the scholly limit

Cackalacky2.0 · Nov 10, 2020

zelezo vlk said:
I actually think that kids on Mission don't count against the scholly limit

Maybe. at the time I think it was questionable. It was a while ago and I may be misremembering. Either way BK had to maintain a spot for him when he returned. But then he transferred and we were down a scholly that year I think.

Regardless I didn't like it then and I don't like it now.

NewEnglandGuy · Nov 10, 2020

Cackalacky2.0 said:
Anyway, consider me in the coaches camp here. No way I want a kid going off to a third world country, and not bein gable to bulk up and eat and train and then come back and expect to compete with top 5 teams. nuh uh. Come and stay or not at all IMO.

Agreed. The amount of worldly experience gained is offset with physical deterioration. This was a good article last year on Tanner McKee. Stanford's top 50 overall player in the 2018 class who went on a mission.

Reality is, McKee, who regularly eats the traditional Brazilian fare of beans and rice, has lost 15 pounds of muscle from his frame in the year since he arrived here. His neck has shrunk a bit and his pants, which were tight on his legs when he arrived, now flap in the breeze.

“If my personal trainer could see me now,” McKee jokes, “he’d kill me … If I had to play a game right now, it would be tough. I’d get crushed.”

In the mission field, his physical conditioning and weight training is limited to these daily workout sessions in the mornings six days a week before donning the standard missionary white shirt and tie.

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2019...uarterback-tanner-mckee-mormon-lds-missionary

With this follow up article upon his return in spring 2020.

https://www.deseret.com/sports/2020...l-football-latter-day-saint-missionary-brazil

Compared to 5* Phil not enrolling early, this seems a bit more of a set back for prospects who are serious about success in football.

dublinirish · Nov 13, 2020

Utah just took a ILB commit in the class of 2021:
<iframe class="twofourseven-embed" title="Player Embed" style="max-width: 100%" frameBorder="0" width="600" height="200" src="https://247sports.com/PlayerSport/Ethan-Calvert-at-Oaks-Christian-233345/Embed/"></iframe><script async src="https://assets.247sports.com/Scripts/SkyNet/Shared/embed.js" charSet="utf-8"></script>

Trends well for Kia to ND now

arrowryan · Nov 17, 2020

Irish CBs are coming in. Maybe it happens tonight.

AvesEvo · Nov 17, 2020

dublinirish said:
Utah just took a ILB commit in the class of 2021:
<iframe class="twofourseven-embed" title="Player Embed" style="max-width: 100%" frameBorder="0" width="600" height="200" src="https://247sports.com/PlayerSport/Ethan-Calvert-at-Oaks-Christian-233345/Embed/"></iframe><script async src="https://assets.247sports.com/Scripts/SkyNet/Shared/embed.js" charSet="utf-8"></script>

Trends well for Kia to ND now

How did Utah get such a highly rated kid?

'21 HI LB Kahanu Kia (Notre Dame Signee)

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