After the Polynesian Bowl concluded with a 22-17 Team Mauka win, a handful of influential people in the game stood to present trophies to the MVPs of the game, linebacker Andrew Harris and quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
While Harris and Iamaleava are among the stars of the class of 2023, neither was the most notable person at the backdrop. And it took Harris a moment to realize that to the right of him was a man whose hair, now greying and pulled back into a ponytail and not quite as recognizable as it had been flowing under his helmet and in commercials, was one of the best and most popular NFL players in recent memory.
His reaction once realizing the NFL legend was standing near him was as wholesome as it gets.
He was so shook 😂 @Andrew05478857 pic.twitter.com/6byBoO3FKQ
— Overtime (@overtime) January 21, 2023
Polamalu presented Harris with the Defensive MVP award. Harris was rather reserved during the interview with the Polynesian Bowl rep after receiving the trophy, but he got emotive when asked about who handed it to him.
“Oh my god, it’s a blessing, I never thought I’d meet him in person. Like, it’s crazy,” he said, with inflection in his voice that’s best heard over video instead of read off a page.
Harris recorded two sacks and had a pass breakup in the high school all-star game in Hawaii. He is an uncommitted four-star prospect who plans to announce his college decision on Feb. 1, according to 247Sports.
Read more: Iamaleava, Harris named MVPs of the 2023 Polynesian Bowl
