Linebacker Josiah Kia Could Continue Notre Dame's Success In Hawaii
Notre Dame has had some nice success in Hawaii over the last 20 years, landing standout players such as Manti Te’o, Kona Schwenke, Robby Toma, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, Jordan Botelho and Marist Liufau. In the 2021 recruiting class, the Irish staff also signed linebacker Kahanu Kia, who is currently serving a LDS mission in Raleigh, North Carolina after spending his first season in 2021 as a member of the team.
On Tuesday night, 2025 Honolulu (Hawaii) Punahou linebacker Josiah “Ko’o” Kia also received an offer from Notre Dame. He is the younger brother of Kahanu, and an extremely impressive athlete in his own right.
The offer came as a slight surprise for the sophomore linebacker. It was one, however, that he is beyond grateful for. He is very familiar with the Notre Dame program and understands how big of a deal this is.
"Coach Brian Mason and Coach James Laurinaitis were the ones who offered me the scholarship,” Kia explained. "My mind started racing once I realized they were offering me and I immediately thought of my older brother Kahanu and how much he loved his first year playing football for the Fighting Irish. I also thought of the many great Hawaii players that have played there and how exciting the opportunity to play under Coach (Marcus) Freeman is.”
Obviously the familiar really hit home with Notre Dame. Despite him only being a sophomore, Kia is already drawing the attention from several notable schools. Recruiting has begun to heat up quickly.
"Up to this point my recruiting has gone pretty well,” he said. "I received my first offer last spring from the University of Hawaii, followed by Utah, USC, Arizona, BYU and now Notre Dame. I just feel blessed for all the programs who have shown interest in me.
"I think that the schools that have offered me have all been showing a lot of interest and have been recruiting me well,” Kia continued. "It’s early and I’m just starting to get to know all the coaches.”
Kia is hoping to get back up to South Bend in the future: it will not be his first, experiencing the campus while supporting Kahanu. The next trip will be from a completely different vantage point as a recruit.
"In November 2021, I visited Notre Dame’s campus, not as a recruit, but as a family member of a player because my older brother was playing,” Kia explained. "My brother took me around the campus and I was very impressed not only at the campus but by the incredible football culture in South Bend.”
Once again the Notre Dame staff could have a legitimate presence in the state of Hawaii in the 2025 recruiting class with Kia. He’s the type of talented athlete on the second level that the staff has gravitated towards.
Kia has begun to put together an impressive offer list. He has done especially well on the West Coast over the past year. Some of his notable offers include the Irish, USC, Utah, BYU and Arizona among others.
The 6-2, 190-pound linebacker put together an impressive sophomore season for Punahou. The Hawaii standout would collect 71 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and eight sacks while making plays all over the field.
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