Kana'i Mauga

Kana'i Mauga (born January 8, 2000) is an American football linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the USC Trojans and was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Early life
Mauga was born on January 8, 2000, in Waianae, Hawaii. He attended Waianae High School and after being named third-team all-state as a junior he was the Hawaii Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 while totaling 52.5 tackles and three defensive touchdowns. Ranked a four-star prospect and the best outside linebacker in the state, Mauga committed to play college football for the USC Trojans.

College career
As a true freshman at USC in 2018, Mauga appeared in all 12 games and posted 14 tackles with two pass breakups. He saw his first time as a starter in 2019, posting in his first start 13 tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. He finished the year with eight starts and compiled 59 tackles, seven TFLs, three sacks and two pass breakups. He tallied 41 tackles, three TFLs, a sack and an interception in the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season. In his final year, Mauga played 12 games and finished with 91 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, a sack and an interception. He declared for the National Football League Draft after the 2021 season, ending his stint at USC with 206 tackles, six pass breakups, five sacks and three interceptions.

Denver Broncos
After going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Mauga was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent. He was waived on August 30 and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad. He was released from the practice squad on November 1.

Las Vegas Raiders
On December 13, 2022, Mauga was signed to the practice squad of the Las Vegas Raiders. He was signed to a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023. He was released on August 1, but later re-signed on August 12. He was released at the final roster cuts in 2023 and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad. He was signed to the active roster on September 30 and later made his NFL debut in the team's Week 4 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, becoming the third alumni of his high school to ever make it to the NFL. He was placed on injured reserve on October 30, and activated on December 9, but placed back on IR three days later with a knee injury. Mauga finished the 2023 season with five games played and three tackles.