Inside The Huskies

King of the Pick-6s, Hawaiian Safety Picks Cal over UW, Others

Aiden Manutai has scored on an interception return in each of his three high school seasons.

Dan Raley

Aiden Manutai chose Cal over Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee and the UW.
Aiden Manutai chose Cal over Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee and the UW. / Kahuku

People say the real playmakers take chances on the football field, force the issue and go for the glory, rather than wait around for something to come to them.

Aiden Manutai, a safety from Kahuku High School on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, fits that profile and on Friday committed to California, choosing the ACC over the SEC's Tennessee, Big 12's Arizona and Big Ten's Nebraska and Washington.

The Huskies now turn their attention to a Saturday commitment announcement coming from C.J. May, a linebacker from Highland Home, Alabama, who will choose from among Auburn, Louisville, Syracuse and the UW.

In each of his past three football seasons for two separate schools -- beginning as a freshman -- the Cal-bound Manutai has made an aggressive break on the ball and come up with an interception that he returned for a touchdown, piling up pick-sixes.

In 2021, while lining up for Mililani High located in the middle of the island state, he zoomed in, stole the ball and zipped 47 yards for a score in a 48-14 victory over Campbell.

Two years ago, now playing as a sophomore for Kahuku on the northern tip of Oahu, Manutai victimized Campbell once more, this time with a 15-yard pass theft for an instant TD in a 32-7 playoff win on the way to the state championship.

Last season, he came up with his most memorable bit of pass thievery yet, returning a 54-yard interception for a score against the St. John Bosco football powerhouse from Southern California, providing needed points for a stirring 31-23 victory at home on the way to another state title.

The interception and win over Bosco were particularly satisfying for Manutai and his Kahuku teammates because it came a week following a disastrous trip to the Los Angeles area, where they were embarrrassed 55-8 by Mater Dei.

As the son of a former University of Hawaii linebacker, the 6-foot, 195-pound Manutai presents himself as a fearless defender whose actions have helped the Red Raiders post back-to-back 12-2 seasons and claim two of the school's three consecutive state titles.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

Published
Dan Raley

DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

Home/Recruiting