UCLA Football Picks Up Commitment From Linebacker Solomone Malafu
The Bruins may have been busy winning out on the field Saturday night, but they also picked up a win on the recruiting trail.
Class of 2023 linebacker Solomone Malafu committed to UCLA football in the middle of the team's 38-13 victory over Stanford on Saturday, announcing his decision on Twitter early in the fourth quarter. The Kapa'a High School (HI) prospect was the second commit of the weekend for the Bruins, with athlete Ethan O'Connor announcing his decision on Friday.
Malafu was also considering offers from Boise State, Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, Nevada, Oregon State, San Diego State, UNLV and Utah.
UCLA hosted Malafu for an official visit on May 6, before he took ones to Cal on June 17 and Boise State on Sept. 3.
Malafu is a three-star recruit, according to 247Sports, Rivals and On3. In the 247Sports Composite, Malafu is ranked as the No. 43 linebacker in his class, the No. 3 player in Hawaii and the No. 491 player in the country.
After playing linebacker and running back all season long as a junior at Kapa'a, Malafu hit his high mark at both positions in last year's DII state playoffs. Malafu rushed for a touchdown and added 2.0 tackles for loss and an interception in the semifinals against Hawaii Prep, then led Kapa'a to a 62-7 rout over KS-Maui in the championship with 152 yards and four touchdowns on the ground to go along with 3.0 tackles for loss and an interception.
Those final two performances led Malafu to earning the 2022 Herman Wedemeyer Award, given to the top two-way player in Hawaii. Malafu also earned All-State First Team Defensive honors from the Star Advertiser.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pount linebacker showed out at the ESPN 300 Elite Underclassmen Camp in Maui and will play in the Polynesian Bowl this winter.
Malafu becomes just the latest linebacker to commit to the Bruins since Ken Norton Jr. took over as the position coach in February. Of the nine commits in UCLA's class of 2023, four are expected to play linebacker at the college level.
Four-star Tre Edwards in the Bruins' second-highest rated recruit, while Malafu ranks third. Three star St. John Bosco (CA) safety Ty Lee and three-star Silverado (NV) athlete Donavyn Pellot (NV) were primarily recruited by Norton and are expected to make the move there ahead of next season.
UCLA's 2023 recruiting class has gone from No. 92 to No. 72 following Malafu and O'Connor's commitments. In the past week alone, their class has leapt Syracuse, Kansas, Indiana, San Diego State, Oklahoma State and Boise State in the national rankings.
Malafu is Tongan and Hawaiian, joining a long list of Polynesian and Pacific Islander players on the Bruins' roster. Malafu is cousins with defensive lineman Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi, who will be a redshirt senior next year.
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PHOTO COURTESY OF SOLOMONE MALAFU/TWITTER
