2021 USC Football Roster
Roster
Kana'i Mauga
- Position:
- Inside Linebacker
- Height:
- 6-2
- Weight:
- 245
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Waianae, HI
- High School:
- Waianae HS
CAREER: He has 206 tackles, including 16.5 for losses of 49 yards (with 5 sacks for minus 32 yards), 6 deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 3 interceptions for 45 yards and a kickoff return for 0 yards in his career. He has appeared in 43 games, with 24 starts, in his career.
2021: Mauga, who is always around the ball, started for his third season as an effective inside linebacker as a senior in 2021. Overall in 2021 while starting all 12 games, he led USC with 90 tackles (including 5.5 for losses of 16 yards, with a 10-yard sack), and also had an interception, 2 deflections and a forced fumble. He made 2021 All-Pac-12 honorable mention and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 third team. He won USC’s 2021 Trojan Way Leadership Award. He was a 2022 College Gridiron Showcase invitee.
He had 3 stops and a forced fumble against San Jose State, 4 tackles against Stanford, 4 tackles (including 2 for a loss, with a sack) at Washington State and 6 stops against Oregon State. He had a team-best 8 tackles and a deflection at Colorado, a game-high 11 tackles, with 2 for losses, against Utah, a game-best 7 tackles with a deflection at Notre Dame, a team-high 10 tackles against Arizona, a game-best 11 tackles (0.5 for loss) at Arizona State, a game-high 14 tackles (equaling his career high), including 0.5 for a loss, against UCLA, a team-best 9 tackles (0.5 for loss) and an interception against BYU and 4 tackles at California.
2020: Mauga started again at inside linebacker as a 2020 junior. Overall in 2020 while appearing in all 6 games and starting 4 times (all but Arizona State and Arizona), he had 41 tackles (second on USC), including 3 for losses of 7 yards (with a 2-yard sack), and he returned an interception 34 yards. He made the 2020 Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 third team.
He had 1 tackle against Arizona State, 3 tackles at Arizona, 11 tackles (1.5 for loss, with a sack) at Utah, 3 tackles against Washington State, 9 tackles (1 for a loss) at UCLA and a game-high 14 tackles (0.5 for a loss) and a 34-yard interception return against Oregon.
2019: Mauga, who was moved to inside linebacker prior to spring 2019 practice from outside linebacker, played a significant role there and on special teams as a sophomore in 2019. Overall in 2019 while appearing in all 13 games and starting 8 times (Stanford, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Arizona State, California, UCLA, Iowa), he had 61 tackles, including 7 for losses of 25 yards (with 3 sacks for minus 20 yards), plus 2 deflections, a forced fumble, an interception returned for 11 yards and a kickoff return for no yards.
He had a tackle against Fresno State, 4 tackles (1 for a loss) against Stanford, 2 tackles (0.5 for loss) against Utah and 2 tackles at Notre Dame. Then, as a starter, he had a game-high and career-best 13 tackles (2 for losses, with a sack), forced a fumble that USC recovered and converted into a TD and returned an interception 11 yards that led to a USC field goal at Arizona, added 8 tackles (1 for a loss) at Colorado, 7 tackles (including 1.5 for losses, with a sack) against Oregon, a game-high 9 tackles at Arizona State, a team-best 5 tackles at Callifornia, 6 tackles (with a sack) and 2 deflections against UCLA and 4 tackles against Iowa.
2018: Mauga, who enrolled at USC in the spring of 2018 after graduating a semester early from high school, saw key playing time as a first-year freshman outside linebacker and on special teams in 2018. Overall in 2018 while appearing in all 12 games, he had 14 tackles, including 1 for a loss of 1 yard, and 2 deflections. He had 2 tackles against UNLV, 1 each versus Texas and Washington State, a deflection at Arizona, 4 tackles (1 for a loss) and a deflection against Colorado, 4 tackles against Arizona State and 1 tackle versus Oregon State and California.
HIGH SCHOOL: He made 2017 PrepStar All-American, USA Today All-Hawaii Defensive Player of the Year and KHON2/Cover2 Manti Te’o Defensive Player of the Year as a senior linebacker and tight end at Waianae (Hi.) High. He had 52.5 tackles, including 5 for losses (with 3 sacks), 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 3 defensive TDs in 2017.
As a 2016 junior, he made All-State third team.
He also was on the track team (sprints, hurdles, weights, jumps) at Waianae.
PERSONAL: He is a non-governmental organizations and social change major at USC.
