Sama Pa’ama is a Husky!

A four-star recruit on the 247Sports and ESPN databases (three-star on Rivals), Sama Pa’ama is a top-5 player out of the state of Hawaii and the 22nd best defensive tackle in the country according to 247Sports. He played his high school ball for Kaimuki in Honolulu, a public school not traditionally known as a football powerhouse. While he played both offensive and defensive line in high school, he was recruited to the UW as a defensive lineman.

On his first trip ever to the mainland back in the spring, Pa’ama committed to the Dawgs. He picked the UW over offers from schools including Arizona State, Hawaii, Nebraska, Oregon, and USC, among others. After he committed to the UW, he also started hearing from Alabama, however they never officially offered. There were also consistent rumors that USC would continue to go after Sama but he was a rock solid commitment to the Huskies. Pa’ama took his official visit last weekend and raved about it to the media.

This kid is more than just a big body. Watching his film, you can see that he has active hands that attack opposing blockers, he keeps his pad level low, and he’s very quick with a great get off. Beyond that, he just moves like an elite athlete and especially for someone of his size. But lest I down play it too much, at 6’ 4” and 335 pounds he is indeed an absolutely massive human.

As of now he appears to be pretty raw, but the tools are there for the Husky coaching staff to work with. His combo of size, speed and athleticism provides the potential to develop him into an elite run-stopper and interior pass-rusher. I have no doubt that the UW coaching staff sold him on being the next Vita Vea. Given two or three years of quality D1 coaching, it’s not unreasonable to think that his ceiling is within the realm of Vea’s.

For highlights from his high school career, check out his Hudl page here: https://www.hudl.com/profile/7957443/Evangelist-Sama-Paama