3-Star Hawaii LB Marist Liufau
LB Marist Liufau
Ranking
ISD: 87 - Three-Star
Composite: 87.7- Three-Star
Vitals
6’2 - 210
Punahou (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Senior Stats
40 tackles, 9 TFLs, 8 sacks
Recruiter
Special teams coordinator Brian Polian and defensive coordinator Clark Lea
Recruitment Rundown
It wasn’t a dramatic recruitment. Liufau’s name came on the board late but it didn’t take long for him to commit. The Hawaii native visited for the Florida State game and committed two days after his visit.
Punahou assistant Coach Robby Toma
“He’s fast, and I believe he ran track last year. The kid can just fly. He doesn’t lose speed on impact. He enjoys the physical part of the game. Tackles can typically get their hands on edge rushers, but Marist can manipulate the blockers by his strength and how long his arms are. His work ethic is just unmatched.”
ISD expert Jamie Uyeyama
I think Liufau has a chance to develop into a very good player for Notre Dame. I could see him starting out at Rover, but wouldn’t be surprised if he ended up at Buck if he puts on the right amount of weight.
Normally a guy like Liufau ends up at a program like Utah and three years down the line he is ballin’ out in the Pac-12 while people wonder how he slipped through the cracks. Notre Dame did a good job getting in on a guy who probably would have received a lot more attention if he was from a different part of the country.
He’s an aggressive playmaker with good instincts and innate ability as a blitzer/pass rusher. Those things can go a long way if the physical development part of it comes together and he is a late-bloomer in that department. It may take him a couple of years before he gets into the mix for playing time. After that, he has the potential to be a starter and core special teams player.
Favorite ISD quote
“We’re going to miss him. He’s had a great career here. He’s just a great humble, hard-working kid who always gives his best on the field and in the classroom.” - Punahou head coach Kale Ane
