2025 ACC Football Kickoff: Cal Senior DT Aidan Keanaaina
CHARLOTTE, NC - When the Bears got a commitment from 6-3/320 veteran Notre Dame defensive tackle Aidan Keanaaina last year, Cal fans knew they were bringing in a player with good size and high accolades as a prep recruit but up until then, injuries and competition at his position had limited the former 4 star’s ability to make a mark but that changed in a big way last season as the junior racked up 45 tackles, 2.5 TFL, one sack and a pass defended in 2024.
“You know, I've said I'm truly blessed with this opportunity that was afforded me by coach Wilcox,” Keanaaina said. “Also, Coach Browning, in the past, Coach Sirmon but now Coach TB and Coach So’oto.
“I look back at my time at Notre Dame as nothing but positive. You know, I wouldn't change a single thing. I was very happy with what I did there, with the coaches there, learning there, I was very happy. I was very happy to graduate from there. But being able to come here, get a fresh start, new opportunity, being able to compete for that starting position and play in all of our 13 games, it's really reminded me about my love of this game and the passion it brings, and it really makes me want to continue playing as long as I can. And playing the teams that we are now, the competition and the trust that these coaches put in me, it's just completely fulfilling for me and it's just a true blessing that I get to do that.”
Regarding where he is in his game right now as a senior grad student, Keanaaina continues to see development in his strength, knowledge of the game, technique and more.
"Definitely my understanding of the game," the senior DT said of the biggest area of growth in his game. "At first, everyone says adapting to the speed of the game, the understanding of the game is very difficult, but once you understand the game at a different level, everything slows down a little bit, you can see things. You see where a back is lined up, you can see the different stances of an offensive lineman. You can see where the tight end is and there's only so many formations and so many plays that they can run out of those formations. So it starts boiling things down and making it easier to read plays and know what's coming. It's the extra step ahead and the better understanding of what's going on.
“I think the other thing that has really benefited me the most this past year and this upcoming year is just my overall technique in the games. I think Coach Browning does an amazing job harping on the little things like hand placement, extension, release, small things like that that I had difficulty and inconsistencies with in my earlier years. He's really helped me do a great job of being consistent and continuing to apply those things, too. I think that's one of my favorite things about him, he won't let me slack off in any way. He's gonna stay on me and try to keep pushing me to get better every day and not rest on past performance."
The senior DT was asked about any changes he’s seen in conditioning and practice performance with the new strength and conditioning coach led by head strength and conditioning coach Jason Novak.
"I think Coach Novak and his entire strength staff is doing an amazing job, especially with the consistency they bring," Keanaaina said. "I absolutely love their workouts and what they've done. One of my favorite things about Coach Novak is he does everything with a reason behind it and he makes you understand that reason. We don't do things that make no sense. You know, I'm a lineman and offensive and defensive linemen, we're not known as wanting to run. In my mind, I'm like, 'Look, if I'm running more than 50, you know, even more than 20 yards, that could be a big problem in a game.' But in his mindset, there was a drive where I was out there against Wake Forest for 10 plus plays. He's like, ‘Look, some teams are going to go to going to go tempo, some teams are going to go fast, and you need to prepare for that. So we do a lot of our our conditioning based off of like, ‘All right. This is a 10 play drive. This is a four play drive, this is an eight play drive. He turns it into a football sense of understanding. It's like, 'Okay, so I don't want to be running this much,' but when he breaks down like, 'Look, you might be out there and find yourselves in these situations and you need to be ready for it.'
“Offenses take advantage of tempo and time and clock so you have to be ready for that and you’ve got to be prepared. So they just do an amazing job at that and I feel like my strength and cardio are the best it's ever been. And also, their emphasis on recovery and nutrition has been amazing. I think they focus a great deal of making sure that we're constantly staying hydrated and doing the little things to help our body stay in the best shape it can be, whether it be extra stretching sessions or extra recovery anytime we have any aches. He'll show us different things that we can do to help with flexibility, and then just small things he notices with lifts. He's like, 'Your hip mobility needs to be better so you can get lower on your squat. You need to work on that ankle flexion a little bit more. Your toe bend needs to look a little better' so he'll identify all of these areas we need to individually target. He'll identify little, small things that we can work on and improve on and we've done this since spring."
Keanaaina was also asked about one of the final portal additions of the 2025 - 6-1/270 Houston Christian DT transfer Zae Smith. Though undersized and from lower level FCS competition, Keanaaina wants to communicate to Cal fans that Smith’s strength, freakish wingspan and nonstop motor will have an impact on the Bears’ defensive front this season.
"Oh, I'm so excited about adding Zae," the senior DT said about his new DT teammate. "I can tell you one thing is that man is explosive and I can't wait for Cal fans and the rest of the ACC to see Zae do his thing. He's dynamic. He can play. I saw some of his film on the outside, too, but I think he's going to be amazing for us on the inside, moving all over and then definitely helping with that pressure on third down and getting to that quarterback as well as well."
Stay tuned for more from this week’s ACC Football Kickoff.
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