Hometown: Kahuku, HI
Major: Sociology (2024)
With 95 days until the 2025 Utah Football season, we continue the UteNation Countdown to Kickoff Series with no. 95, Aliki Vimahi. The recent graduate is one of the few defensive tackles this season with significant experience, but he battled injuries last year, only playing in four games with two starts.
The Hawaiian-native should be set to team up alongside Dallas Vakalahi as one of the anchors of the defensive line this season.
UteNation Take
Vimahi made 9 starts in his sophomore season in 2022, but saw a reduced role in 2023 with the ascension of a couple other players. After injuries held him back in 2024, a healthy Vimahi should be prepared for a much more significant role again in 2025. He has been a dependable piece of the defense when he’s been on the field, but this season should be his biggest role yet. With Utah’s defensive depth a bit more in question than fans are used to, Vimahi’s health will be crucial throughout fall camp.
Remembering Vimahi’s Recruitment
The then 3-star defensive end was the 5th-ranked recruit in Hawaii for the class of 2017, lining up next to Utah great Bradlee Anae at Kahuku HS. During his official visit, Vimahi’s host was Anae, and they discussed the family aspect of Utah and the strong tradition of great defensive lines in Salt Lake City.
Utah beat out a strong list of suitors for Vimahi’s services, including Georgia Tech, Virginia, UCLA, and USC. The Trojans were the biggest threat to his Utah commitment as his dream school, but they asked him to wait a year before joining the team. After signing with the Utes in the 2017 class, Vimahi served an LDS mission before officially joining and redshirting for the 2020 season.
