2025 LB Ko'o Kia commits to Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Honolulu Punahou three-star linebacker Ko’o Kia has committed to Notre Dame.

He chose the Fighting Irish while also holding offers from the likes of Texas and Oregon.

Kia is the No. 623 overall prospect and No. 57 LB in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the No. 3 player in Hawaii.

Kia was in South Bend for an unofficial visit on Jan. 12 and opted to pull the trigger on his commitment not too soon after. He’s the latest to join a 2025 class for Marcus Freeman and Co. that’s already on pace to finish in the top 10 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.

“It was awesome,” Kia told Blue & Gold following the visit. “I got to meet with pretty much all of the coaches. I got to see their presentations, all of the facilities and everything. I talked to the new strength coach (Loren Landow), and he seems awesome. He really got me fired up.”

Other top commits for the Fighting Irish in the 2025 cycle include: Lucedale (Miss.) George County four-star quarterback Deuce Knight, Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange four-star safety Ivan Taylor, Chicago Simeon four-star EDGE Christopher Burgess and Green Bay (Wisc.) Notre Dame De La Baie four-star tight end James Flanigan.

In total, ND’s 2025 class now features 14 commits — easily the most in the nation as of Jan. 15. Of the commits, eight are blue-chippers. Knight and Taylor are both top-100 prospects in the On3 Industry Ranking.