Hawaii's Ta'amu looks to lead DC to UFL championship
The Pearl City graduate and former Ole Miss quarterback will lead the D.C. Defenders into the United Football League Conference Championship this Sunday against the St. Louis Battlehawks, one of Ta'amu's former teams.
Since beginning his pro career in 2020, Ta'amu has tallied more than 10,000 total yards and 72 touchdowns across the XFL, USFL, and now the UFL.
Despite earning league MVP honors and spending time with NFL franchises like the Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, and Houston Texans, a championship has eluded the 27-year-old signal-caller.
'I'm just so excited and happy for our team to be where we're at right now,' Ta'amu told KHON2 Sports. 'Just to continue the journey that I'm still going, still playing, still throwing the rock around, and making my family proud. We get to play at a high level and for something big, a championship. You learn from your past, right? We're trying to rewrite history.'
Ta'amu made headlines earlier this season with a highlight-reel trick play, catching his first career receiving touchdown after hurdling a defender on his way to the end zone.
'That was amazing,' Ta'amu said. 'If you haven't seen that trick play, please go watch it. It was probably the highlight of my career, catching it, hurdling somebody, and scoring. I was so hyped. It was definitely a blessing to celebrate that moment with my teammates.'
Sunday's conference title game will also feature another Hawai'i connection: St. Louis reserve quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, a Saint Louis School graduate and former University of Hawai'i standout.
Kickoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. HST and will air live on KHON2.
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