Eteva Mauga-Clements (born May 16, 1999) is an American Samoan professional gridiron football linebacker for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Diablo Valley and Nebraska.

Eteva Mauga-Clements
No. 38     Edmonton Elks
Mauga-Clements with the Edmonton Elks in 2024
Born: (1999-05-16) May 16, 1999 (age 25)
American Samoa
Career information
StatusActive
CFL statusGlobal
Position(s)LB
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight215 lb (98 kg)
CollegeDiablo Valley, Nebraska
High schoolCollege Park (Pleasant Hill, CA)
CFL draft2024G, round: 1, pick: 1
Drafted byEdmonton Elks
Career history
As player
2024Vegas Knight Hawks*
2024–presentEdmonton Elks
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career stats

Early life

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Mauga-Clements was born in American Samoa.[1] He moved to the United States to attend College Park High School in Pleasant Hill, California.[2][3]

College career

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Mauga-Clements first played college football at Diablo Valley College from 2018 to 2019. He recorded 61 tackles, 7.0 sacks, one forced fumble, and two blocked kicks in 2019, earning Bay 6 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.[2]

He transferred to play for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 2020 to 2022.[2][4][5] In the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, Mauga-Clements played in all eight games, primarily on special teams, and made one tackle. He appeared in all 12 games in 2021, totaling five tackles and one pass breakup. He played in all 12 games, starting two, during the 2022 season, accumulating 39 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. Mauga-Clements was named Academic All-Big Ten in both 2021 and 2022. He graduated with a criminology and criminal justice degree in December 2021.[2]

Professional career

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Mauga-Clements had briefly signed with the Vegas Knight Hawks of the Indoor Football League before deciding to pursue a career in the Canadian Football League (CFL).[6][7]

He was selected by the Edmonton Elks with the first overall pick in the 2024 CFL global draft.[8] He officially signed with the team on May 6, 2024.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Eteva Mauga-Clements". cfl.ca. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d "Eteva Mauga-Clements". huskers.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  3. ^ "Draft Ready: 4 things to know about Eteva Mauga-Clements". cfl.ca. April 23, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  4. ^ Gabriel, Parker (September 8, 2021). "Red Report: Mauga-Clements' time to shine; Alante Brown's injury history; Cerni learning on the fly". journalstar.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  5. ^ McAlpine, Jordan (August 19, 2022). "Eteva Mauga-Clements has been 'extremely impressive' during camp, but it didn't happen overnight". omaha.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  6. ^ "FORMER VEGAS KNIGHT HAWKS LINEBACKER DRAFTED NO. 1 OVERALL IN CFL GLOBAL DRAFT". goifl.com. May 6, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  7. ^ "Eteva Mauga-Clements: In Search of an Opportunity". goelks.com. May 9, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  8. ^ "Elks select LB Mauga-Clements first overall in CFL Global Draft". tsn.ca. April 30, 2024. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  9. ^ "Edmonton Elks Transactions". footballdb.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.