Kahuku alum Aiden Manutai overcame health scare ahead of Hawaii Bowl

Two months ago Kahuku graduate Aiden Manutai had no idea when he would see the football field again.

But his love for his teammates and coaches helped Manutai overcome the adversity he was going through.

The true freshman starting safety for the California Golden Bears football team overcame a cardiac contusion suffered during the Oct. 24 game at Virginia Tech and is now back home in Hawaiʻi for the Sheraton Hawaiʻi Bowl, where Cal will face the University of Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warriors on Christmas Eve at the T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. HST.

Manutai, a 5-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back from Waipahu, was hospitalized following Cal’s 42-34 double-overtime loss to the Hokies. The injury — a bruise to the heart muscle caused by blunt chest trauma — required close monitoring and forced Manutai to weigh whether he would return this season.

“The past two months was very mental,” Manutai said. “I had to think about things a lot, on whether or not I should finish out the season or not. I had a cardiac contusion … I had to monitor my heart and everything.”

Cleared to return, Manutai made his comeback Nov. 22 against Stanford and played a key role in Cal’s regular-season finale, a 38-35 upset of 21st-ranked SMU.

In that game, he recorded a season-high eight tackles, intercepted a pass for the first time in his collegiate career and broke up a pass with eight seconds left in regulation that prevented the Mustangs from gaining yardage for a potential game-tying field goal attempt.

Manutai finished his first collegiate regular season with 41 total tackles, a fumble recovery, one interception and two pass breakups in nine games.

“First off I had a bunch of great leaders all over the team,” Manutai said. “Coaches and players that were able to take me under their wing. I was just able to listen and take things in.”

The SMU victory was also Cal’s first game since parting ways with head coach Justin Wilcox. Former University of Hawaiʻi quarterback and head coach Nick Rolovich is serving as the Golden Bears’ interim coach.

“They kind of let it up to me on whether or not I wanted to play,” Manutai said. “The decision to play was because of them. These players and coaches mean a lot to me. I really love my teammates and my coaches and what they poured into me.”

Manutai is a 2025 graduate of Kahuku and was named the state’s Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He was a three-time ScoringLive All-Hawaiʻi First Team selection at defensive back in the Open Division and helped the Red Raiders win state titles in his sophomore and junior seasons, along with OIA championships in his sophomore and senior years.

He committed to Cal in July 2024 after the Golden Bears emerged as a finalist during the spring recruiting period. His final list also included Arizona, Nebraska, Tennessee and Washington.

“We took an unofficial visit in March,” Manutai said after his committment. “I loved the environment, the vibes. When I came back on my official visit, it felt like a family environment, so I felt like that was the place I needed to be.”

Manutai is part of a Hawaiʻi-heavy recruiting class at Cal that includes true freshman starting quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele of Campbell and former Kahuku teammate Lebron Williams on the defensive line.

A four-year varsity player, Manutai spent his freshman season at Mililani before transferring to Kahuku, where he developed into one of the state’s top defensive backs.

Now, after a frightening midseason setback, he returns home with a chance to close his freshman year on a familiar field.