Bishop Gorman ready to defend national title thanks to offensive line

Bishop Gorman offensive linemen SJ Alofaituli, Doug Utu and Alai Kalaniuvalu are often reserved and soft-spoken when they take off their pads and helmets.

It’s the complete opposite when they’re blocking for the Gaels.

“If you just happen to be on the other side of those guys,” Bishop Gorman coach Brent Browner said, “you don’t want to be there that long.”

The trio let their play do the talking. That’s helped them become some of the nation’s top offensive line prospects in the class of 2025. They’ve earned the attention of almost every major Division I college football program.

The three linemen are one reason why the Gaels are ranked second nationally in Max Preps’ preseason poll. They open their 2024 campaign at 7 p.m. Friday at home against Kahuku, the three-time Hawaii Open Division champion.

Bishop Gorman rolled to the 5A Division I state title last season and was named the national champions by MaxPreps and USA Today for the fourth time in program history.

Alofaituli, Utu and Kalaniuvalu, who form the backbone of the best offensive line in the country, will be leaned on as the Gaels try to repeat. The team has a grueling out-of-state schedule that includes matchups with No. 11 St. Thomas Aquinas (Florida) and No. 1 Mater Dei (California).

“Our coaches tell us that we’re the leaders of the team,” Kalaniuvalu said. “If we don’t do good, the team doesn’t do good. With that on our back, we feel like we have to set the tone every single game and help the team perform the best we need to.”

The year 2023 has already been added to Bishop Gorman’s national championship wall at its athletic training complex. The team isn’t shy about saying it wants another title this season.

“My main focus is putting 2024 up there,” Utu said. “It would mean a lot because I’ve been here all four years. Seeing that 2023 up there, it pushes me even harder to put another one up there.”

‘It paid off’

Alofaituli, Utu and Kalaniuvalu — who play guard, tackle and center, respectively — had a busy summer. All three announced their college commitments after each receiving more than 20 Division I offers.

Alofaituli, the state’s second-ranked recruit in the class of 2025, according to 247 Sports, committed to Miami (Florida) in July.

Utu, the state’s third-ranked recruit, committed to Tennessee in June. Kalaniuvalu, the No. 4 recruit in the state, committed to Oregon in July.

Alofaituli and Utu both joined Bishop Gorman as freshmen in 2021 after moving from Hawaii during middle school.

The Gaels played a partial schedule that spring, but returned to action in the fall intent on reclaiming their crown after their run of 10 straight state titles was snapped in 2019.

Alofaituli, a Seattle native, started right away. He helped Bishop Gorman go 12-1 and win the 5A state title thanks to a group of upperclassmen that pushed him to be better.

“You got to play with aggressiveness, tenacity, just a different mindset when you’re out there,” Alofaituli said. “It paid off a lot.”

Utu didn’t play as a freshman but started in 2022. The Gaels went 13-1 that season and won another 5A state title.

“I was scared (coming into Bishop Gorman) because it was a new environment,” Utu said. “It was good because it made me push out of my old habits to become something new and good for the team.”

Kalaniuvalu moved to Las Vegas from Utah in January 2023. He said there were times when he doubted himself during the transition, but his new teammates were there to lift him up.

“It wasn’t easy moving out here at first, but all the boys are definitely my brothers now,” Kalaniuvalu said. “They welcomed me with warm hands and brought me into the team pretty quickly. I had to step up and be the center and be a leader on the line right away.”

‘Quiet confidence’

Everything clicked in 2023 with Alofaituli, Utu and Kalaniuvalu on the offensive line. They led the way as the Gaels averaged more than 431 yards and 49 points per game in a perfect 12-0 season.

“There’s a quiet confidence that comes from those guys and you need that in every huddle,” Browner said. “You can look into somebody’s eyes and know they’re going to give and do whatever it takes to help the play work and you succeed.”

Browner, despite all the talent on his roster, didn’t hesitate to say his three senior offensive linemen stand out above the rest.

“The way they can move at that size, if they were 100 pounds lighter, they’d be playing something else and they’d be just as athletic,” Browner said. “It sounds crazy to say it that way, but they are probably the three best athletes on the team.”

All three say they are brothers on and off the field, which Kalaniuvalu said has helped them play at a high level. Browner said their humble attitude and toughness radiate to the rest of the team.

“They’re big protectors of the guys that are on that offense,” Browner said. “They’re going to protect them and do whatever it takes. It comes with a lot of self-sacrifice and not wanting to be in the limelight. … They do it for the love of the game and for the love of their brothers and that’s the most valuable thing you can have.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.