Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen isn’t exactly trying to get away from it all.
The Punahou junior, who has an affinity for rodeos and the outdoors, might end up in Big Sky country at this rate. On Thursday, FCS national powerhouse Montana became the ninth university to offer the talented defensive back a scholarship.
Montana joins three other members of the Big Sky Conference who have made offers to the playmaker.
Offers, chronological order:
Navy (AAC)
Army (Independent)
Idaho (Big Sky)
Sacramento State (Big Sky)
Eastern Washington (Big Sky)
UNLV (Mountain West)
Central Michigan (Mid-American)
Utah State (Mountain West)
Montana (Big Sky)
Former Baldwin head coach and UNLV assistant coach Jimmy Morimoto is the point of contact for the Grizzlies.
“I’m going to play anywhere they need me. I want to play and make a difference. One of the things they want to do there is they want to win and they want to win a FCS national championship,” he said. “I called up Coach Jimmy earlier today. He said they have 18 conference championships and two national championships. Their fan base is great and it’s a great game-day atmosphere. They sell out pretty much every game. Their head coach (Bobby Hauck) is the winningest coach in the country. Their fan base is a great game-day atmosphere. They sell out pretty much every game.”
In mid-May, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mendiola-Jensen is biding his time. He is now in a certain territory. Will he become a big fish in a small pond, or a small fish in a big pond who can grow to the extent of the pond? The 6-foot-2, 155-pound defensive back is in no rush.
“Montana definitely will be one of my options. I already started doing some research on the schools. I’m not going to cut any schools yet. I think of it as another place that’s going to make me better at football, give me an opportunity to play football. I love this game. I’m going to take it step by step, get better day by day and see where that leads,” he said.
The state of Montana has an average of six humans per square mile. Animals easily outnumber people, but Mendiola-Jensen has never hunted. Yet.
“All my cousins go hunting. Hopefully, I’ll go one day. I always wanted to,” he said.
Through the lockdown, he has remained active, often posting workout videos on Twitter.
“I still workout every day. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I lift and then conditioning all the other days. Sometimes, like today, footwork and conditioning in morning, went to (online) class, had a meeting with Coach Brown (Eastern Washington) on FaceTime. He took me around campus because I can’t go up there,” Mendiola-Jensen said.
The same goes for all the programs that are recruiting him.
“Pretty much every day or every other day, we’re in touch. Sometimes text, sometime FaceTime,” he said. “My parents tell me to keep working, stay humble. They really let me take the reins on this.
He plays with a ferocity that recalls another playmaker who went on to star at the college level: Nate Jackson of Waianae and UH. Practically no one hit quite as hard, but Mendiola-Jensen plays bigger than his listed weight, just as Jackson always did.
“For me, it’s mentality. Also, one of my favorite videos is Ray Lewis’ motivational speech about mentality. He talks about how a lion is the king of the jungle when he’s not the biggest or fastest. I watch that video all the time," he said.
Lockdown staples
Top 2 shows
1. Den of Thieves (Netflix)
2. Shooter (Netflix)
Top 2 foods/drinks
1. Protein shake, chocolate (Serious Mass)
2. Leftovers
Mendiola-Jensen’s not-so-hidden talents include long snapping. He was the starter at LS last season for Punahou.
“I’ve been long snapping since I was little. My cousins Kawika, Noah and Kamuela Borden (now at UH) taught me. Noah played in the XFL on Seattle Dragons until it stopped,” he said.
His three cousins — Kawika at safety, Noah at linebacker and Kamuela at defensive line — never played O-line. Mendiola-Jensen offers a unique combination with speed from the LS position. One extra coverage man on punts.
“I was on all the special teams except kick return. Quinn (Maretzki) was pretty good. He’s going to West Point (Army). He would give us time to get down there. There wasn’t really that much returns,” he said.
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