![]() | |||||||||||
No. 45, 44 | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||
Born: | Hauʻula, Hawaii, U.S. | July 24, 1992||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 246 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: | Kahuku (Kahuku, Hawaii) | ||||||||||
College: | Washington (2010–2014) | ||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2015: 2nd round, 44th pick | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
|
Hau'oli Kikaha (born July 24, 1992) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2014. He was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Kikaha attended Kahuku High & Intermediate School in Kahuku, Hawaii. He is from Hau'ula, Hawaii. He played defensive end and tight end. As a senior in 2009, he was named Honolulu Star-Bulletin's' defensive player of the year. [1] Kikaha was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com. [2] In January 2010, he committed to the University of Washington to play college football. [3]
Kikaha played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2010, making seven starts. He finished the season with 49 tackles and three sacks. [4] He started the first four games of his sophomore season in 2011, before tearing his ACL causing him to miss the rest of the season. [5] [6] Prior to 2012, Kikaha tore his ACL for a second time, causing him again to miss the season. [7] Kikaha returned in 2013 and started every game for the Huskies. He finished the season with 13 sacks and 70 tackles. [8] As a senior in 2014, Kikaha broke Daniel Te’o-Nesheim school career sack record of 30. [9] In 2014 as a result of being named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, the Walter Camp Football Foundation and The Sporting News, Kikaha became the sixth unanimous All-American in school history. [10]
Kikaha was drafted in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft, 44th overall. [11] After having a strong training camp and pre-season, he began the season as the starting outside linebacker for the Saints. He recorded his first career sack in Week 2 when the Saints played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kikaha sat out Week 9 with an ankle injury and then only played 8 snaps in Week 10. After a Week 11 bye, he came back healthy, recording three tackles in Week 12. [12] He finished his rookie season with 52 tackles, 4.0 sacks, and four forced fumbles. [12]
Kikaha tore his ACL on June 9, 2016, and was ruled out for the 2016 season. [13] He played in 12 games in 2017, recording 10 tackles and four sacks. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 16 and was placed on injured reserve on December 28, 2017. [14]
On September 1, 2018, Kikaha was waived by the Saints. [15]
On October 15, 2019, he was selected by the Dallas Renegades of the XFL in the 2020 XFL Draft . [16] He retired from football three weeks into the XFL season on February 25, 2020. [17]
Kikaha was known as Hau'oli Jamora before changing his name in 2013. [18] [19] He is of Native Hawaiian descent. [20]