Darius Muasau (born February 10, 2001) is an American professional football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors and UCLA Bruins.
| No. 53 – New York Giants | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | February 10, 2001 San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 234 lb (106 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Mililani (Mililani, Hawaii) | ||||||||
| College: | Hawaii (2019–2021) UCLA (2022–2023) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 6 / pick: 183 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024 | |||||||||
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Early life
editMuasau attended Mililani High School in Hawaii, where he was a linebacker and running back. As a senior, he was named to the USA Today All-USA Hawaii Football Second Team.[1]
Muasau committed to playing college football at Hawaii in 2018, the lone Division I FBS offer he received.[2][3]
College career
editHawaii
edit2019
editMuasau started the season as a backup linebacker and special teamer, but was thrust into action early in the season due to injuries to the Rainbow Warriors linebacking corps.[4] In his first career start against rival Fresno State, Muasau led the team in total tackles and also recovered a key onside kick that set up the then-game tying drive for Hawaii.[5]
2020
editIn a stellar 2020 season, Muasau led the Rainbow Warriors in tackles as well as ranking fourth in the nation at solo tackles and fifth in total tackles. He was also named the most outstanding player on defense of the 2020 New Mexico Bowl, compiling nine tackles, one sack and an interception in the performance.[6]
Muasau was named an All-Mountain West first team selection in 2020, the only Hawaii player to garner first-team honors, as well as an honorable mention All-American by Phil Steele.[7][8] He was also named a finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award, but ultimately lost out to Zach Wilson and Talanoa Hufanga.[9]
2021
editMuasau had another productive season in 2021, compiling 108 total tackles, seven sacks, and five forced fumbles. After the season concluded, Muasau announced on December 28, 2021 that he would be entering the transfer portal.
UCLA
editOn January 1, 2022, Muasau announced on social media that he would transfer to UCLA.[10]
College statistics
edit| Year | Class | GP | Tackles | Def Int | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | TFL | Sacks | INT | Yards | PD | FR | |||
| 2019 | Freshman | 13 | 44 | 16 | 60 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2020 | Sophomore | 9 | 66 | 36 | 102 | 9.5 | 4.5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | Junior | 13 | 65 | 43 | 108 | 14 | 7 | 1 | 75 | 4 | 1 |
| Career | 35 | 175 | 95 | 270 | 26.5 | 11.5 | 2 | 76 | 5 | 3 | |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+7⁄8 in (1.83 m) |
225 lb (102 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.70 s | 1.59 s | 2.72 s | 4.41 s | 7.23 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Muasau was drafted by the New York Giants in the sixth round, 183rd overall, of the 2024 NFL draft.[13] Muasau recorded an interception in his NFL debut against the Vikings in Week 1.[14]
Personal life
editMuasau's younger brother Sergio is currently an offensive lineman at Hawaii.[15]
References
edit- ^ "2018 ALL-USA Hawaii Football Team". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ Chinen, Kyle (November 11, 2020). "Mililani's Darius Muasau dominant for the Rainbow Warrior defense". Hawaii News Now. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ Tsai, Stephen (July 12, 2018). "Warriors secure commitment from Mililani linebacker". Hawaii Warrior World. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "'He's not scared for the big moment', 'Bows true freshman Darius Muasau steps up sooner than expected". KHON2. September 11, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ Tsai, Stephen (November 8, 2019). "Hawaii freshman Darius Muasau holds his ground for Warriors defense". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ New Mexico Bowl [@NMBowl] (December 25, 2020). ". @HawaiiFootball 's Darius Muasau was selected as the 2020 New Mexico Bowl Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the game. Congratulations!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Shimabuku, Christian (December 15, 2020). "Mililani's Darius Muasau selected to Mountain West Conference first team". KHON2. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Phil Steele's 2020 Postseason All American and All Conference Teams". Phil Steele. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ "Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award Finalists Announced". Polynesian Football Hall of Fame. January 6, 2021. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- ^ @Dariusmuasau53 (January 2, 2022). "Excited for the next chapter! #4sup" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Darius Muasau Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Darius Muasau College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
- ^ Hickey, Kevin (April 27, 2024). "New York Giants select LB Darius Muasau with 183rd pick in 2024 NFL Draft". Sporting News. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
- ^ "Giants' Darius Muasau: Nabs interception in NFL debut". CBSSports.com. September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Shimabuku, Christian (February 5, 2020). "Mililani's Sergio Muasau set to join older brother Darius at UH". KHON2. Retrieved March 11, 2021.