SDSU LB Caden McDonald set to hang loose with two Hawaiian recruits on the Mesa
San Diego State football’s Caden McDonald, a Texas native, will be the lone Representative of the Lone Star State at linebacker in the Aztecs’ 2017 recruting class, as he will join two other linebacker recruits from the beautiful state of Hawaii.
Honolulu natives Andrew Aleki and Seddrick Lakalaka will join McDonald on the Mesa, as both Aleki and Lakalaka signed National Letters of Intent with the Aztecs on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Aleki headlines the Hawaiian duo, as he was considered a consensus three-star recruit by Rivals, ESPN, 247Sports and Scout. He was also ranked as the second-best linebacker and the sixth-best overall recruit in the Aloha State by 247Sports. He declined offers from six other schools to join SDSU, including Oregon State, Washington State and University of Hawaii.
Lakalaka also traded the Hawaiian shores for the beaches of San Diego, but he likley had other reasons backing his decision to take his talents to SDSU.
A two-star recruit by Rivals and Scout, Lakalaka will join his older brother, SDSU’s junior linebacker Ronley Lakalaka, within the Aztecs’ front seven.
Yes, that is a lot of Lakalaka.
Without much of a Hawaiian background, McDonald hopes to quickly join forces with Aleki and Lakalaka with a striking first impression.
“I better get a hula skirt on and a coconut bra and get hula dancing because I’m not much of a Hawaiian,” McDonald said laughing.
At 6-foot-3 inches, 210 pounds, McDonald will need some time to find a hula skirt in his size, but it’s surely a sight worth the wait.
Until then, McDonald plans to leave a stronger impression on the football field, regardless of whether he sees the field as a freshman in 2017.
“I’m going to come in and do everything I can and work the hardest I can,” McDonald said. “If they don’t redshirt me and I play, that’s awesome. But if I do redshirt, I’m going to take full advantage of it and get strong, know the defense, get up to par and come out next year ready to earn a spot.”
With only a select few of linebackers leaving SDSU due to graduation, it will be tough sledding for McDonald to earn playing time early in year one unless he’s able to have a significant impact on special teams, an area of the game where he is more than willing to contribute.
“Special teams is a third of the game,” McDonald said. “I think if the coaches need me to play a spot there, then I’ll do whatever the coaches ask me to do to get time on the field.”
McDonald’s willingness to do whatever necessary to aid the Aztecs is admirable, leaving little reason as to why he won’t step onto the gridiron early in his colleigate career.
Former SDSU linebacker Calvin Munson, one of the few linebackers moving on from the Mesa, set an expectation for future Aztec linebackers moving forward, an expectation McDonald plans to meet or even exceed.
“I know Calvin Munson set the standard there this year,” McDonald said. “I’d like to get up there and see if I can get on his status. I don’t know if he has any records there, but I would like to set some records or even break them.”
Munson raked in 301 combined tackles in his four years with the Aztecs, including back-to-back seasons with at least 98 combined tackles and 11 tackles for loss. He is sixth on SDSU’s all-time list in terms of tackles and ninth in sacks.
McDonald has some work to do to even come close to Munson’s statistical impact, but he does see his skill set as something that will ease his transition into the Aztecs’ defense.
“My blitzing ability sets me apart [from other recruits],” McDonald said. “That’s my strongest part of the game, and that’s the strongest part of [SDSU’s] defense.”
In addition to adding strength to the Aztecs’ defense individucally, McDonald assured that all 23 recruits signed by SDSU this offseason, including his linebacker counterparts from the Aloha State, are prepared to keep the Aztecs’ winning ways alive.
“This class coming in is going to keep the tradition rolling of winning,” McDonald said. “We all have the drive to win and do good and bring back some more championships to San Diego.”
Performing a hula dance will, of course, draw rave reviews, but if McDonald can simply bring more championships to SDSU, he can leave the coconut bra in Texas.
