Kana'i Mauga

Mauga was born on January 8, 2000, in Waianae, Hawaii.[1] He attended Waianae High School and after being named third-team all-state as a junior he was the Hawaii Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 while totaling 52.5 tackles and three defensive touchdowns.[2][3][4] Ranked a four-star prospect and the best outside linebacker in the state, Mauga committed to play college football for the USC Trojans.[5]

As a true freshman at USC in 2018, Mauga appeared in all 12 games and posted 14 tackles with two pass breakups.[6] He saw his first time as a starter in 2019, posting in his first start 13 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.[7] He finished the year with eight starts and compiled 59 tackles, seven TFLs, three sacks and two pass breakups.[6] He tallied 41 tackles, three TFLs, a sack and an interception in the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season.[6] In his final year, Mauga played 12 games and finished with 91 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, a sack and an interception.[8] He declared for the National Football League Draft after the 2021 season, ending his stint at USC with 206 tackles, six pass breakups, five sacks and three interceptions.[9]

After going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Mauga was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent.[10] He was waived on August 30 and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad.[11][12] He was released from the practice squad on November 1.[13]

On December 13, 2022, Mauga was signed to the practice squad of the Las Vegas Raiders.[14] He was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[15] He was released on August 1, but later re-signed on August 12.[16][17] He was released at the final roster cuts in 2023 and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad.[18][19] He was signed to the active roster on September 30 and later made his NFL debut in the team's Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, becoming the third alumni of his high school to ever make it to the NFL.[20][21]