Cal D-Lineman Aidan Keanaaina Welcomes the Underdog Role

Cal was picked 15th in the 17-team ACC football race this season in a poll of 183 media members. The Bears are not expected to win their opener at Oregon State, at least according to the Las Vegas oddsmakers.

Senior defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina doesn’t know about any of that. Doesn’t bother checking. Doesn’t care.

“I did not know that we are underdogs,” he said last week. “I don’t look at media for that. I try to stay away from social media. I focus on the opponent ahead of me — what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses, what can I do to best prepare myself for that?”

The Bears routed OSU 44-7 at Berkeley last season, but this is a new year with a vastly reworked Cal roster. And the game is at Corvallis, where this is viewed as a high-interest game. The Beavers are 20-5 on their home field since the start of the 2021 season.

Keanaaina, a 6-foot-3, 320-pounder who transferred to Cal a year ago from Notre Dame, says he looks forward to a rude reception from the home crowd.

“I love being the underdog. I’ve always loved that,” he said. “My favorite games are away games. I like walking into enemy stadiums and being hated by fans. I've always said that. I love being in the underdog position because being underrated and not believed to be as good as you are or what you’re capable (of), allows you to prove them wrong.

“I think that’s the story for our team, to go past what people expect for us and show them we can be a great football team.”

The Bears begin the schedule with 13 defensive linemen following the loss of senior Nate Burrell due to a season-ending injury. Cal was among the ACC’s toughest run defenses a year ago, allowing just 109.8 yards per game at 3.3 yards per attempt.

“We’re really excited for this D-line. We returned a lot of guys from last year. We’ve got some young guys coming up through the ranks starting to take a role.”

Specifically, Keanaaina mentioned redshirt freshmen Michael-Anthony Okwura (6-3, 280) and BJ Canady (6-5, 285). He cites Okwura’s strength and Canady’s length. “They’re put in position to play for us and do well for us this season,” he said.

The returnees include redshirt seniors Stanley Saole-McKenzie and T.J. Bollers and junior Derek Wilkins. “We have very high standards for this D-line,” Keanaaina said. “We just want to keep pushing that envelope and making this defense what we think it can be.”

Keanaaina, who had 45 tackles a year ago, said he feels ready to be a better player after a productive offseason working under new strength and performance coach Jason Novak.

“I’m at the strongest, the fastest I could be, the healthiest I can be, and I’m really excited.”

Keanaaina also expects big things from junior inside linebacker Cade Uluave, whom he believes is being underrated. “He has a lot to prove,” Keanaaina said, “and he’s going to do that.”

In the video below, Keanaaina talks about being his own biggest critic and how the effectiveness of an interior defensive lineman isn’t measured solely by his tackle totals.

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