Senior Jahlani Tavai commits to University of Hawaii for football

By Katie Von Behren
Staff Writer

Growing up in a family of athletes setting high standards, senior Jahlani Tavai plans to make a name for himself as he commits to play Division I football at the University of Hawaii.

Tavai began playing football when he was ten years old and has remained dedicated to the sport for the past seven years. He played for Pop Warner teams including the Redondo Beach Seahawks and the South Bay Buccaneers before spending the last four years playing for the Mustangs.

“Jahlani is a terrific athlete that has brought a lot of great things to Costa’s football team over the years, including his strong leadership.” coach Don Morrow said. “He’s a wonderful role model and dedicated player with great energy both in the games as well as at practice.”

Other top Division I football programs expressed interest in Tavai including Sacramento State, University of Nevada, University of Southern California and University of California, Berkeley. Despite attention from these schools, Tavai accepted the offer from Hawaii and plans to play as an outside linebacker.

“It feels great to know that I’ll be going to college while playing the sport that I love,” Tavai said. “I have always wanted to go to Hawaii ever since I was a little kid so It’s exciting to finally be committed to my dream school.”

Tavai excels in other sports such as rugby in which he received All-American and is currently a member of the USA national rugby team. He also spent his senior year as a varsity captain for the Mustangs and won first team All Bay-League, All-Area, and was named All-CIF to the team.

“My favorite part about football has always been game days because everyone gets so pumped which makes me excited to play.” Tavai said. “I want to prove that I can play college ball and my goal is to be better than my older brothers while helping Hawaii turn their program around.”

Through his achievements, Tavai has overcome numerous injuries throughout his football career as well as make sacrifices in order to dedicate his time to multiple sports. Although It is often difficult to balance school and athletics, according to Tavai, all of the sacrifices and challenges he has faced have been worth it.

“I’m so happy for my brother for all that he has accomplished,” brother Justus Tavai said. “I’m going to miss playing with my big brother but I know he will do great at Hawaii.”