Class of 2024 Offensive Lineman Paki Finau Earns UCLA Football Offer

Half of the Pac-12 is now officially pursuing the in-state lineman who has spent the past two years racking up honors.

The Bruins are making a major push for young pieces up front.

UCLA football has extended an offer to class of 2024 offensive lineman Paki Finau, the prospect revealed Monday on Twitter. The Oak Hills (CA) product measures in at 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds and stars at tackle for the Bulldogs.

Finau has additional offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Boston College, BYU, Cal, Fresno State, Miami (FL), Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico State, Oregon, Oregon State, San Jose State, San Diego State, UNLV, Utah, Washington, Washington State and Western Michigan.

Finau has taken visits to USC, Fresno State, Oregon, and Arizona, and he returned to Tucson for the Arizona-UCLA men's basketball game on Saturday. He is set to take a trip to Washington in late January, plus a visit to Miami (FL) in March.

The Bruins hosted Finau for a gameday visit at the Rose Bowl last fall, according to 247Sports' Bruin Report Online.

Finau appeared at the National Preps Showcase at the NFL Pro Bowl last February, then returned to Las Vegas for the Polynesian Bowl National Combine & Showcase in March. The San Bernardino County native also went to the Under Armour Next Camp Series in Los Angeles earlier that month.

Starring up front for Oak Hills last season, Finau wound up making the All-CIF Southern Section Division 2 Team. He was also named to CalHiSports.com's 2022 California All-State Team on Saturday.

Finau is a four-star recruit, according to On3, while 247Sports and Rivals have pegged him as a three-star. In the 247Sports Composite, Finau ranks as the No. 29 player in California, the No. 17 interior offensive lineman in the country and the No. 308 overall prospect in his class.

Among offensive linemen in California, Finau ranks No. 5. The Bruins had already offered the top three linemen in the state, and have now reached that stage with four of the top five.

UCLA is in the midst of rebuilding its starting offensive line for the 2023 season, mostly utilizing transfers to fill holes left by departing veterans.

Left tackle Khadere Kounta and center Duke Clemens are entering their final years of eligibility, while left guard Spencer Holstege will have one more season in 2024 if he elects to use it. Right tackle Garrett DiGiorgio, on the other hand, will have two years left after 2023.

Between their last two high school recruiting classes, the Bruins have added just two offensive linemen, both of whom were three-star prospects ranked outside the top 500 nationally – Sam Yoon and Tavake Tuikolovatu. Of the six who joined in the 2020 and 2021 recruiting classes, four remain, none of whom were top 500 prospects.

UCLA has one commit in its 2024 recruiting class – four-star Mater Dei (CA) cornerback Khristian Dunbar-Hawkins. The Bruins' class currently ranks No. 29 in the country and No. 6 in the Pac-12.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF PAKI FINAU/TWITTER