Recruiting update on Boise State commit Kekaula Kaniho

Few in the Treasure Valley will ever forget the winter storm of 2017. Too many inches of snow, single digit temperatures, and Weatherman Vin Crosby forecasting impending doom left many residents wishing they were laying on a beach in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Ironically enough, it was from there that Boise State’s next commitment would arrive.

The North Shore of Oahu is famous as a mecca of surfing, but it is also home to one of the most dominant high school football powerhouses in the United States. That’s where Kahuku Red Raider Safety Kekaula Kaniho calls home. After he and his family took a trip to Boise, Idaho, the lure of playing for Boise State led to a commitment on his visit.

Athlete

3 STARS

Boise State
Kahuku

RR: 5.5

Ht: 5'11.0"

Wt: 170.0

Class: 2017

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POSITION

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NATIONAL

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STATE

Commitment status:

verbal

Boise St.

Kaniho had other offers from Colorado, San Diego State, Washington State, among others.

Boise State began recruiting Kaniho at the beginning of the 2016 football season, when secondary coach Gabe Franklin reached out to him. Boise State offered a week later. Months later on the weekend of January 13th, accompanied by his parents, he made the trip to Boise for an official visit. While football was on the agenda, academics that took priority, “The coaches knew going into the trip what I wanted to study, so we got to meet with a lot of the professors and have all of our questions answered,” said Kaniho. He will major in Biomechanics with a minor in Biomedical Engineering.

When asked what he thought of Boise, Idaho and the record amount of snow, he replied, “I loved it, and yes it was (his first time seeing snow). It fits me perfectly, the city isn’t too big, but it’s not too small either.”

Gabe Franklin and Head Coach Bryan Harsin didn’t take long to visit with the Kanihos again, showing up on Oahu on Monday. “It was good, we just really spent time talking story about everything because we already had all of our questions answered on the trip,” he said.

The staff also took time to visit Waianae OL Onesimus Lutu-Clarke on the west side of the island. Lutu-Clarke is Kaniho’s cousin. Kaniho confirmed that Lutu-Clarke plans to visit Boise State the final weekend before signing day on February 1st.

Unlike many of the top high school football programs in the U.S., Kahuku high school isn’t a private school. It is a program comprised of in-district teenagers from the local North Shore community. They don’t recruit, yet still routinely make national Top 25 lists. Earlier in 2016, they played against #1 ranked Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) on the mainland. The corporate, manufactured football program vs. the kids from North Oahu.

It’s not anything the Red Raiders haven’t dealt with before, constantly going up against private schools like St. Louis, Punahou, etc. on the islands. That underdog, us vs. the world mentality was instilled in Kaniho long before Boise State came into the equation. “The Boise State football program embodies everything that Kahuku does. Total Blue Collar mentality most importantly, but also the community support & playing for more than just yourself,” Kaniho said.

Before visiting, Kaniho saw Boise State in the same light as many others: that team with a blue field that ran the statue of liberty in the Fiesta Bowl. After his visit, though, it was clear Boise State’s blue collar tradition endeared to him, “That’s what I really liked about Boise, it was almost exactly the same as Kahuku football, all the way down to the quotes on their walls & meeting rooms.”

Kekaula and his family plan to celebrate signing day at Kahuku High School. You can also watch him play this Saturday in the Polynesian Bowl on ESPN3 at 9:00 p.m. MT.