PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Aidan Keanaaina learned that he wanted to be a football player at an early age.

His football career began in the second grade at Water Tower Park in his hometown of Brighton, Colorado.

"I still remember my first tackle football game like it was yesterday," Keanaaina said. "Playing football games at that park was a big deal."

And there was one play from his first game that has always stood out in his mind.

"I came all the way across the field from the opposite side of the ball to chase a running back down from behind and tackle him at the 2-yard line," Keanaaina said with an ear-to-ear smile. "I can't remember a single thing that happened in any other sport I played at that age, but that one play and that one game are still so memorable. It shows the passion I have for football and how much I enjoy playing it."

He also clearly recalls what his father, Stacey, said to him after that game.

"My dad said, 'you're going to be a football player,'" Keanaaina said. "He was right."

It wasn't long before Keanaaina was playing beyond Water Tower Park as he traveled the country – Arizona, California, Texas – with his Football University (FBU) youth team.

"That really got me a lot of exposure," Keanaaina said.

Further exposure came from his highly productive senior season at J.K. Mullen High School in 2019, when he recorded eye-catching numbers, including 77 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, four sacks, eight forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, seven quarterback hurries and one blocked field goal.

Perennial national football powerhouse Notre Dame, and many others, noticed the budding superstar, who was ranked as high as the No. 30 defensive tackle (Rivals.com) in the nation. After taking an official visit to Notre Dame, Keanaaina signed with the Fighting Irish in 2019.

Keanaaina's journey in South Bend was full of bumps in the road, including injuries, coaching changes and COVID-19. Still, he persevered to become an important rotational player by his fourth season for a 10-3 team that was a winner over Oregon State at the 2023 Sun Bowl. He also earned his bachelor's degree in management consulting last December.

With a Notre Dame degree in hand and two years of eligibility remaining, Keanaaina decided to enter the transfer portal, wanting to see if there was somewhere else to continue his academic and athletic pursuits.
"Cal was the perfect place for me," Keanaaina said.

Not only was Cal perfect for Keanaaina, he was perfect for Cal.

"You could see his size, his power and his strength on film," defensive line coach Andrew Browning said. "Once he got here, everything we saw on film was quickly confirmed. But the biggest thing was his maturity level. Aidan communicated during the recruiting process that the education piece was really important. He loves to play the game of football, but he's also focused on setting himself up to be successful after football."

Keanaaina hopes to play at the professional level, though he also knows the importance of a backup plan. The first-year Golden Bear is enrolled in Cal's two-year master's program in public health with aspirations to work in hospital administration when his playing days come to an end.

Keanaaina leads all Cal defensive tackles in 2024 with 20 tackles through five games and has an opportunity to become the first Golden Bear defensive lineman with 50 since Luc Bequette's 52 in 2019. He has also quickly become popular and helpful to his new teammates.

Outside linebacker and Utah transfer Xavier Carlton, who often lines up next to Keanaaina, was one of several players to quickly form a strong bond with the Notre Dame transfer.

"Our journeys from previous schools to Cal had some similarities," Carlton said. "He's taught me a lot in the short amount of time he's been here. One of the biggest things I have learned from him is to stay in the present and not look ahead too much."

That might seem like odd advice coming from someone who has multiple plans for the road ahead.

But while Keanaaina is planning for his future, his immediate relationships with teammates and his approach to practice proves that he's giving plenty of attention to the present.

"Every practice, I focus on thinking about just two or three things, and that's all," Keanaaina said. "Over time, they add up."

His tally is quite impressive.