Vavae Malepeai (born January 28, 1998) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

. He is currently an offensive quality control analyst at

Stanford Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth governor of and th ...

, a position he has held since 2023. Malepeai played for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

Early years

Malepeai was born in 1998 in

Aiea, Hawaii ʻAiea (; , ) is a census-designated place (CDP) located in the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a total population of 9,338. Geography ʻAiea is located at (21.385900, −157.9309 ...

. He played football at

Mililani High School Mililani High School is the only public high school located in Mililani Town CDP,2000 Map: - Compare to addresses of schools. City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. on the island of Oahu. Serving an enrollment of over 2,600 students in gra ...

where he became one of the best running backs in Hawaii high school football history. He concluded his high school career with more rushing yards than any other player in state history. He would originally commit to play at

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

but would switch his commitment to

USC USC may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

College career

Malepeai enrolled at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in 2016. He was redshirted as a true freshman after suffering a broken shoulder blade in training camp. Despite having his season shortened due to injury, he led the

2019 USC Trojans football team The 2019 USC Trojans football team represented the University of Southern California in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and competed as members of the South Division ...

with 503 rushing yards in eight games. His 2019 season was cut short by a knee injury. Malepeai later revealed that he had injured the knee in before the season began and played hurt, hoping he could fight through it. In 2020, he again led USC in rushing yardage.

Statistics

Personal life

A native of Hawaii, his three uncles, Silila, Tasi and Pulou Malepeai, all played college football for the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the College sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene, Oregon, Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCA ...

. In April 2024, he became engaged to Anna Smith a former USC women's soccer team starting goalkeeper. They wed in Hawaii in July 2025.

References

External links

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USC Trojans bioStanford Cardinal profile
1998 births Living people Players of American football from Honolulu County, Hawaii American football running backs USC Trojans football players Pacific Islander American players of American football 21st-century American sportsmen Stanford Cardinal football coaches {{Runningback-1990s-stub