For Hawaii alumni watching the NFL this week, the biggest news came not from a Sunday box score but from a Thursday transaction wire — and it was worth celebrating.
Kohl Levao Gets His Shot
The Jets signed offensive lineman Kohl Levao to their 53-man roster, handing the Hawaii product an active NFL contract and a legitimate seat at the table in New York's offensive line room. Levao, a versatile guard, filled an open roster spot and joins a Jets team looking to solidify its trenches. Multiple reports noted the Jets also took the opportunity to reunite with two former players on the practice squad in the same transaction window — but Levao's promotion to the active roster is the headline. Earning a 53-man spot is no small feat in a league where roster margins are razor-thin, and for a player who has ground through the practice squad circuit, this is a meaningful career milestone.
For Rainbow Warriors fans, Levao's activation is a reminder that the Hawaii pipeline to professional football — while rarely filled with first-round glamour — is real and persistent.
Around the Rest of the Alumni Corps
Elsewhere in the NFL, Jahlani Tavai and the Jacksonville Jaguars handled business against the New England Patriots on Sunday, with Jacksonville winning handily 35-6. Tavai, a linebacker, has remained a steady presence on a Jaguars defense that made a statement with the lopsided victory.
In Indianapolis, punter Rigoberto Sanchez was part of a tight Colts win over the Houston Texans, 19-17. Sanchez has long been one of the more dependable Hawaiian exports to the NFL, and the Colts' narrow victory was exactly the kind of game where a reliable punter can quietly flip field position and shape an outcome.
The broader Hawaii alumni footprint in the league this week stretched from Los Angeles to Seattle to Las Vegas, with Tru Edwards (Rams), Ilm Manning (Seahawks), Jonah Laulu and Kansei Matsuzawa (both Raiders), Darius Muasau (Patriots), Jordan Murray (Colts), Sammis Reyes (Vikings), and Keith Kirkwood (Ravens) all holding active roster spots across the league.
The Bigger Picture
Hawaii doesn't produce NFL players the way Alabama or Ohio State floods the draft every spring — but the Warriors consistently punch through. The Levao signing is this week's proof of concept: a versatile, technically sound offensive lineman working his way onto an active NFL roster on merit. For a program based 2,500 miles from the continental United States, that kind of reach matters.
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