Northern Illinois · W 31-24
3 tackles
The other 7 games average 5 tackles. This one was 2 below.
Kamuela Ka'aihue
Played for three head coaches at two programs in four seasons: Jedd Fisch, Brent Brennan and Dan Mullen. A game that shows it: 9 tackles against North Dakota State — Week 6, 2026.
41 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Is steady in every phase without a signature trait.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
41 tackles. 2 passes defended. 0 interceptions. 1 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
No outlet on our list has written about this player by name this season.
Las Vegas Review-Journal Oct 21Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Last game (Wk 9): 3 tackles, 1 pass breakup.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 21-27vs Memphis | 4 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 1 | W 21-6@ Hawai'i | 9 | 5 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | L 6-44@ North Texas | 4 | 2 | 0.5 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 4 | W 38-10@ Akron | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 5 | W 39-31vs California | 3 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 6 | W 13-7vs North Dakota State | 9 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 7 | L 31-41@ Air Force | 8 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 31-24vs Northern Illinois | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Total | 41 | 14 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 2 |
Oct. 31 · W 31-24 vs Northern Illinois, play by play
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: coverage — 2 passes defended in the 8 games with play by play.
How UNLV’s defense played that day
Northern Illinois’s 10 drives: 6 stopped (1 takeaway) · 4 scored. While the game was within a score they held 6 of 9. His pbu came with UNLV up 7.
8 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 9 for him; the box score credits 8.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 8 of his 9, sacks included.
3 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. It places 10 for him; the box score credits 9.
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 3 of his 4, sacks included.
Ratings of the games shown run from -25 to +9 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
Tackle volume
41tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%1 TFLSack rate
0%0 sacksPD rate
5%2 pass breakups41 tackles · 1 for loss.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 |
| Road4g | 5.5 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-77g | 5.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Weeks 8+1g | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Dan Mullen
Pass share
42.2%
218 pass / 298 run
Plays / game
64.5
8 games
Team sack rate
6.6%
258 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Run-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
About as many tackles a game as a typical FBS linebacker who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Three-star recruit. Now #369 at the position.
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Mountain West
Based on 2025: #41 of 45 Mountain West LBs
A base rate for the rank, not a forecast of this player: 15% of returning players who ranked #21 or lower at their position in their conference made an all-conference team the next season (95% confidence interval 13–17%).
The No. 1,816 recruit in the country is starting at linebacker in the Mountain West.
2026 is in progress.
A stat line in 30 games over four seasons.
Coaching lineage · 2023–2026
3 coachesPlayed for 3 head coaches at 2 schools: Jedd Fisch, Brent Brennan and Dan Mullen.
