HONOLULU – The Polynesian Bowl once again proved to be another great opportunity to evaluate many of the top prospects in the 2025 class plus a select group of juniors throughout five days in Hawaii.

Many of the players who shined throughout the four practices continued their strong play during Friday’s game, and now it is time to take a look back on the week in Honolulu and hand out some awards.

MORE POLYNESIAN BOWL: Top game performers | Day 3 top performers | Day 2 top performers | Day 1 top performers | Karson Cox reviews final few weeks in recruiting | QB Madden Iamaleava reflects on finish to recruiting | DB Justice Fitzpatrick working through early favorites | DE Iose Epenesa reflects on picking Iowa | Schools standing out to four-star DT Tank Carrington

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100

TRANSFER PORTAL: Full coverage | Player ranking | Team ranking | Transfer search | Transfer Tracker

READY FOR THE LIMELIGHT: Husan Longstreet

The USC-bound quarterback, who has already been on campus with the Trojans for weeks shined nearly every day in Hawaii. Longstreet ended up being the most consistent signal caller of the week and was able to showcase his greatest assets as a quarterback. He won long ball challenge with a 78-yard throw earlier in the week, and so it was fitting when he ended up connecting on a 75-yard touchdown pass to put Team Makai ahead for good sealing his Co-MVP honors with Oregon receiver signee Dakorien Moore. Longstreet was committed to Texas A&M for several months before flipping his pledge to the Trojans late in the process, and he has put himself in good position to step into the spotlight early in his career in Southern California.

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BALLHAWK: Tae Harris

The Georgia Tech signee was dinged up late in Thursday’s practice and ended up with a pass breakup in Friday’s game, but it was the work that he did throughout the week that really set Harris apart from many of the other defensive backs participating in the game. He ended the week with four interceptions and most of them came on difficult plays that required impressive instincts from the Cedartown, Georgia native. Harris was active in the secondary from the get go Monday, when he had two interceptions, and that continued throughout the week. He plays with a ton of poise and confidence, and should be an impact player early for the Yellowjackets.

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KING OF PRESSURE: Deuce Geralds

He won the defensive MVP award for his performance in the game, which included 7 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks, but it wasn’t just that Geralds was impressive on game day that earned him this award. It was clear who the best defensive line performer was on a consistent basis throughout the week in Hawaii. The four-star defensive lineman from Georgia moved to different spots, but he was dominant wherever he lined up. Geralds proved to be a problem for nearly every offensive lineman he faced during one-on-one drills, and he was a disruptive force in the backfield on game day.

THE SHOWSTOPPER: Dakorien Moore

Five-star players have a way of showing up when it matters most, and the Oregon-bound receiver left no doubt about his ability to put on a show. Moore made several highlight catches throughout the week but none will top his final catch in Hawaii after he was on the receiving end of the pass from Longstreet that eventually won the game for Team Makai and won him a share of the offensive MVP award. His one-handed grab in traffic that ended with a stellar run after the catch was the top play of the game and showcased his ability to be a difference maker. He is a freak athlete, who also won the fastest man challenge on Day 1, and is primed to be a star in Eugene for the Ducks.

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MR. CONSISTENT: Winston Watkins

Another one of the fastest players in attendance this week, the Ole Miss signee was about as consistent as a player can be at an all-star event. Watkins did not have a single unimpressive day during the week of practices in Hawaii. His ability to get open and make plays in space was on display throughout the week, and he brought it all together on game day. Watkins finished with a team-high 8 catches for 77 yards and a team-high 2 touchdowns Friday putting a bow on an impressive week for the 5-foot-10 speedster from Venice, Florida. His ability to use his speed to get upfield was impressive throughout the week and made life easy on the Team Mauka quarterbacks.

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HE’S GOT NEXT: Aaron Gregory

If not for Moore’s 130-yard performance, the 2026 Texas A&M commit would have been the top story at receiver. Gregory shined every day for Team Mauka, and he carried that over into Friday’s game with a stellar performance at receiver. He caught 7 passes for 113 yards to lead his team and that was indicative of his play throughout the week. As one of only 20 juniors on the roster for the game, there was some pressure to stand out and he delivered with his ability to run great routes and get behind the defense. If you didn’t know it, you wouldn’t think he was a year younger than most of his counterparts in the game, and that is a great compliment for someone still in his junior year.

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MR. GAME READY: Iose Epenesa

It was a difficult week for the linemen to stand out since most of the practices were without pads, but the Iowa-bound defensive lineman managed to make the most of his opportunities for contact. The four-star’s last name is going to garner him a certain amount of attention with his brother, A.J., currently in the NFL, but the 2025 recruit from Edwardsville, Illinois has already started to make his own name as a football player. Epenesa had 4 tackles and a sack on game day following up a strong showing earlier in the week during the offensive line-defensive line one-on-one drills. He looks the part of a high-level defensive lineman, and he certainly came to play when the lights went on in Honolulu.

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MAKE’EM NOTICE: Madden Soliai

The lone in-state 2026 recruit on the roster for the Polynesian Bowl, the three-star prospect from Kahuku High School was a pleasant surprise throughout the week. There were several “who was that?” moments for the three-star cornerback prospect over the four days of practice, and he kept that productivity going into Friday’s game with 5 tackles to finish second among defensive backs on Team Makai. Utah, Cal and Arizona have emerged as early contenders, but he will be someone coaches should become involved with in the upcoming cycle based on his ability to disrupt passes and slow down some of the top receivers in the Polynesian Bowl.

THE PRODUCER: Matai Tagoa’i

He’ll get his chance to step into the spotlight at USC, and Tagoa’i was impressive as a playmaker during his five days in Hawaii. The Rivals250 defensive back admits that he is a “tweener” in terms of position with his frame that is befitting of a safety, but his game certainly says linebacker. There wasn’t much contact throughout the week for defensive players, but Tagoa’i made it clear that linebacker should be his fit at the next level. He led Team Mauka with 7 tackles in the Polynesian Bowl, and his ability to make plays in the passing game and running game as a downhill linebacker was impressive.

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DR. DOMINANT: Keenyi Pepe

The top-50 offensive tackle from IMG Academy became a bit of an unofficial leader for Team Makai. He led the pregame haka and certainly grabbed the respect of his teammates throughout the week. Pepe looks the part of a top offensive lineman with his 6-foot-7, 290-pound frame, and he was just as impressive when he was able to get on the field. It was difficult for any defensive lineman to even challenge Pepe in one-on-one situations, and he proved his ability to lock down the tackle spot both in practice and in Friday’s game. There’s no secret why many of the top programs in the country continue to prioritize the 2026 prospect this winter.