Josiah Kia Brings Versatility And Disruption To The Notre Dame Defense
Notre Dame is eyeing a long list of talented linebackers in the 2025 recruiting class. They received their first commitment at the position in January when Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou star Josiah “Ko’o” Kia. He is the younger brother of current Irish defender Kahanu Kia, who returned from his LDS mission earlier this month.
That connection to the Notre Dame program was obvious but the younger Kia has a game that is extremely exciting. He brings a level of versatility that the current staff really tends to value. Let’s take a look what potential roles Kia can hold, and the impact he brings to the program on the next level.
EYE IN THE SKY
Punahou has deployed Kia on the line of scrimmage a lot as a junior. In those situations, you can see his length pop on the screen at times. In the run game, there is a lot to like.
You can see Kia has to work at the point of attack, remains square and violent with his hand usage. At the end of the rep, his length really flashes as well. He won’t play on the edge full time but you can see him in a situational role like Marist Liufau was used at times.
Even when Kia was used on the edge, he was still asked to work in space a ton. In pass coverage, there is a ton of upside to work with. On this particular rep, he is able to really make his presence felt.
When Kia locates the screen, you can see the easy change of direction he has to redirect and close on the football. Add that with his closing speed and he’s a legitimate threat in pass coverage with a really nice upside to work with.
Kia also had a tremendous interception as a junior in 2023, which showcases his change of direction and feel for zone coverage. He locates the football, flips his hips and undercuts the throw for a big play.
From there, Kia is able to close the space and make the interception. Once he makes the interception, there is nothing but green grass in front of him. That’s an interception and a pick six for a huge momentum swinging play.
Some of Kia’s best plays currently are as a blitzer. In those situations, he really flashes his unique combination of length, short area quickness and closing speed. That is evident on this rush off the edge.
Kia gets held up slightly but gets up to top speed in a hurry. That closing bust at the end to finish at the quarterback is super impressive. He could project very favorably as a situational rusher on the next level, or at least an attack style second level defender.
Blocking Kia with a running back is a pretty unwise decision. He brings a pretty twitched up athletic profile, as well as being a slippery rusher. You can see him consistently get off of blocks and make a large array of plays.
Once he contacts the running back, Kia is easily able to slip the block to get to the quarterback. There is a word where Kia eventually grows into a vyper but his ability as a sub package threat makes me want him on the second level and capitalize on his alignment versatility. You can line him up for disruption at so many different spots.
The bend Kia has as a rusher is also super interesting. On one particular rush on the edge, he is able to win the outside track and bend the corner to get pressure on the quarterback.
From there, he is able to force a fumble on a strip sack. Whenever there is a big being made by the Punahou defense, Kia is usually around the action. He has a major nose for the football.
FINAL THOUGHTS
What spot is Kia going to play at Notre Dame? Is he a Rover? Is he a WILL? Could he play Vyper down the road? It’s all very possible.
The upside he brings to the table is really intriguing. As a multidimensional second level defender, Kia has impressive upside to work with. Notre Dame has continued to try to get longer and more athletic on defense. They have done just that with Kia.
Be sure to check out the Irish Breakdown message board, the Champions Lounge
Irish Breakdown Content
2024 Scholarship Chart
2023 Football Schedule
Notre Dame 2024 Scholarship Offers
2024 Commit Rankings - Offense
2024 Commit Rankings - Defense
2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Offense
2024 Recruiting Class Grades - Defense
———————
Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more.
Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time!
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes
Follow me on Twitter: @RiseNDraft
Like and follow Irish Breakdown on Facebook