silverbear;3373290 said:
Friends, info is hard to find on this kid... as many players as NFL Draft Scout rates every year, he wasn't listed in their database...
But here's what I've found via Yahoo-- he's 6-2, 330 pounds, and according to PFW runs the 40 in a snail-like 5.45 seconds... that doesn't sound too encouraging...
He comes from Palmer, Alaska, and played at Western Washington until they suspended their football program last year...
And that's all I could learn... I like his size, but doubt that he's quick enough for the NFL...
Ooops, that should be spelled Aumavae... my bad...
here you go buddy, im working on all of the undrafted players we have signed so far, when i finish by tomorrow i will post them with profiles and videos
Senior defensive tackle Junior Aumavae was named the league's Defensive Newcomer of the Year. Aumavae has 23 tackles for the season including a half a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble. He has appeared in 10 games, starting nine (Aumavae missed the game at U-Mary with an injury). Against Winona State, Aumavae finished with four tackles. Aumavae transferred to Minnesota State from Western Washington after WWU dissolved its football program.
MSU’s Aumavae signs with Dallas
Former Maverick to report to Cowboys minicamp Wednesday
By Chad Courrier
Free Press Staff Writer
MANKATO — Junior Aumavae said the Dallas Cowboys called him Saturday afternoon, saying that they were considering the former Minnesota State defensive tackle with their seventh-round selection in the NFL Draft.
“But then they took another defensive tackle, so I was discouraged,” Aumavae said. “But as soon as the draft ended, they called my agent and worked something out.”
Aumavae said several teams called his agent after the draft, but he chose Dallas, and he will report to their rookie minicamp Wednesday.
Aumavae played in 11 games last season and started nine, making 11 tackles with 14 assists with a half-sack and a forced fumble.
He started his career at Western Washington and had to sit out the 2008 season because of injury. When Western Washington dropped football, he transferred to Minnesota State before last season.
“I think it's impressive for a young man to come from a program that dropped football and then sit out for a year to impress enough people to get invited to an NFL camp,” Hoffner said. “It was a tough road and a long road, but he maximized his opportunity.”
Aumavae, who watched the draft with his family in their Alaskan home, said he's ready to get his professional career started.
“Me and my family are living it up right now,” he said. “I'm excited. It's been a crazy day.”
Former Minnesota State cornerback Kelvin Rodgers and defensive end Randy Earl had also been told they might be drafted but weren't. Both could sign free-agent deals this week.
HE BELIEVES
By Jeremiah Bartz
Frontiersman
Published on Monday, January 11, 2010 8:44 PM AKST
PALMER — More than six years ago, as Junior Aumavae sat in the Palmer High School weight room, flanked by his teammates, ready to sign a National Letter of Intent to play college football at Western Washington, the Moose football standout didn’t know where the ensuing journey would lead.
As it turned out, it would be a long road for the 2004 Palmer High graduate, one that would include major injuries and the end of the Western Washington football program.
But now, after a stellar college football career, Aumavae’s six-year journey could lead him to the highest level of play the sport of football has to offer.
Photo courtesy of Junior Aumavae Minnesota State senior Junior Aumavae reaches up to try to knock down a pass during his senior season. Aumavae, a former Palmer High School football standout, was named All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the NISC Defensive Newcomer of the Year following his senior campaign. Aumavae has signed with a sports agency and hopes to have the opportunity to play for a National Football League team.
(Use arrows above to view more photos)
Aumavae has signed with Imani Sports, an agency that is now working to find Aumavae a spot on a National Football League roster.
“It’s pretty exciting stuff,” Aumavae said during a recent visit home to Palmer. “I always watched the movies, and they said, ‘call my agent’. And that’s what I’m doing right now. It’s pretty crazy.”
Aumavae caught the eye of NFL scouts during his senior season at Minnesota State-Mankato, a campaign that included a number of honors for the 6-foot-2, 330-pound defensive tackle.
Aumavae transferred to Minnesota State prior to his senior season after learning that Western Washington opted to cut its football program. Aumavae made an immediate impact for the Division II Mavericks, making 10 starts. He was dominant in the interior of the Mankato defensive line and was named first-team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year following the 2009 season.
“(Imani Sports) gave me a call after the football season, after I graduated, and told me they heard from a lot of NFL scouts about me, and would like to represent me,” Aumavae said.
Imani, which means belief in Swahili, believes he can be an NFL player, Aumavae said.
The agency has already set him up with a professional trainer who has worked with NFL’ers such as Arizona Cardinals standout Larry Fitzgerald. Imani Sports has set up a “Pro Day,” at the University of Minnesota so Aumavae can show his athletic talents to scouts. Imani Sports is also working to get Aumavae invited to the NFL scouting combine, an annual event held in late February that gives draft-eligible college players the chance to display themselves in front of all 32 NFL teams.
Aumavae said that, through the agency, he’s talked with almost every NFL team.
After redshirting during his freshman season, Aumavae started strong during his college career. During his first season as a full-time player at Western Washington, he made eight starts and played in each of the 10 Vikings games. Aumavae made 24 tackles, 17 solo, and was named first-team All-Great Northwest Athletic Conference following the season.
In 2006, Aumavae started nine games as was named an All-GNAC honorable mention.
As a junior, Aumavae made seven starts despite suffering through a number of injuries.
Shoulder and ankle surgeries forced Aumavae to miss all of the 2008 season.
“Last year I was walking around like a robot with all kinds of braces,” Aumavae joked. “My nickname was RoboCop.”
Aumavae worked through the various injuries, and as he was about ready to return to the Western Washington program, the university announced it was cutting the football program, which the school founded in 1903.
“It was a mess,” Aumavae said.
With the Vikings program now gone, Aumavae hoped to go Division I. There was interest from Portland State and the University of Washington, but the NCAA denied his bid for his sixth year of eligibility to be used in a Division I program.
That sent him looking for a top Division II program. There were a number of schools interested, but Aumavae said he quickly saw Mankato as the right place to be.
“I met the coaching staff and it felt like home,” Aumavae said.
Aumavae also dominated during his three years with the Palmer football program. He was named first-team All-Railbelt Conference and first-team All-State on both offense and defense, as a junior and a senior. He earned state lineman of the year honors as a senior.
Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at
sports@frontiersman.com.
Palmer grad waiting for that call from NFL
By Jeremiah Bartz
J's World
Published on Thursday, April 22, 2010 9:48 PM AKDT
Junior Aumavae has never paid much attention to the NFL draft. But this year is different, because the former Palmer High School football standout just might hear his name called during the league’s three-day selection ceremony.
The 2004 Palmer High School graduate and 2003 Alaska 4A lineman of the year who recently capped a stellar college career could be selected this weekend during the seven-round NFL draft. And if he’s not chosen, Aumavae is expected to sign as a rookie free agent with one of a number of teams that have been talking to him.
The 6-foot-2, 330-pound defensive tackle is seen as an “under the radar” player by most NFL scouts. He’s a Division II player who earned first-team all-conference honors for both Western Washington and Minnesota State-Mankato. He’s received great interest from a number of NFL teams and excelled during his Pro Day, a workout in front of NFL scouts, earlier this year.
On Wednesday, just about 24 hours before University of Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was taken by the St. Louis Rams as the No. 1 overall selection of the draft, Aumavae said his focus is on Saturday, the day of the final four rounds of the draft. If his name is not called during the fourth, fifth, sixth of seven rounds, he’ll wait as teams line up to bid for his services.
If Aumavae has the chance to sign his name along the dotted line and battle for a spot on an NFL roster, he’ll join a small class. A number of Alaska players have cracked NFL lineups, and there are a few players from the 49th State making an impact in the league. North Pole’s Darryn Colledge (Green Bay), Dimond graduate Chris Kuper (Denver) and former Bartlett standout Zack Bowman (Chicago) are all starters for NFL teams.
But the league isn’t overflowing with talent hailing from the 907.
And if you think that’s rare, try finding an NFL’er with a Mat-Su Valley connection. Former Colony star Cole Magner, a 2000 CHS grad, spent training camp with the Atlanta Falcons during consecutive seasons, but was unable to make the final cut. Magner had a brief stint on the Baltimore practice squad before finding a home in the Arena Football League.
This year, Aumavae could become one of the few. He’s already shown he deserves the shot.
Aumavae has faced his fair share of adversity. He battled through injury and was forced to find an opportunity with a second Division II program after Western Washington abruptly canned its football program prior to his senior season.
Aumavae was seen as the best lineman the state had to offer during his senior season in 2003. That’s pretty impressive considering he didn’t even step onto a football field until his sophomore year. Aumavae went to East Anchorage High as a freshman. He made the move out to Palmer as a sophomore, and his sister basically forced him to play football to help him push into the right direction. Under the guidance of the Palmer football coaching staff, Aumavae prospered. He dominated. He was a natural.
Aumavae was named first-team all-state on both offense and defense as a junior and a senior. That helped him earn a chance to play at the Division II level at Western Washington. His impact was immediate, earning All-Great Northwest Conference honors as a redshirt freshman. He did have to overcome hurdles in Bellingham. Aumavae needed surgery to repair injuries to his ankle and elbow. It took a year to rehabilitate.
Aumavae wore so many braces, his teammates nicknamed him “RoboCop.” But Aumavae fought through.
Aumavae worked through the various injuries, and as he was about ready to return to the Western Washington program, the university announced it was cutting the football program, which the school founded in 1903. With the Vikings program now gone, Aumavae hoped to go Division I. There was interest from Portland State and the University of Washington, but the NCAA denied his bid for a sixth year of eligibility to be used in a Division I program. That sent him looking for a top Division II teams.
There were a number of schools interested, including DI power Central Washington, but Aumavae said he quickly saw Mankato as the right place to be. Aumavae was actually meeting with the Central Washington coaching staff when he received a call from a Mankato coach urging him not to sign with the Wildcats.
Aumavae made an immediate impact for the Division II Minnesota State Mavericks, making 10 starts. He was dominant in the interior of the Mankato defensive line and was named first-team All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and the NSIC Defensive Newcomer of the Year following the 2009 season.
Following his senior year, Aumavae signed with Imani Sports. Since, he’s been in contact with a number of NFL franchises.
And regardless of whether his name is called during the NFL draft, Aumavae deserves the chance to get that call to represent Palmer High School and the Mat-Su Valley in the National Football League.
Contact Frontiersman sports Jeremiah Bartz at
sports@frontiersman.com.
Notebook: Western football signs two
BELLINGHAM — Defensive tackle Junior Aumavae (pronounced AH-ma-vi), who earned Lineman of the Year honors for the state of Alaska, and defensive end Erik Olson, who was a Seattle Times White Chip selection, have signed national letters of intent to play football at Western Washington, coach Rob Smith announced. Western has 18 players who have signed this year.
Aumavae, a senior at Palmer (Alaska) High School, was a two-time all-state selection on both offense (guard) and defense (tackle). As a senior, he had 33 quarterback sacks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and one blocked kick.
Olson, a senior at Bellevue's Newport High School, was a first-team All-KingCo Conference pick, with 44 tackles, four sacks and one blocked kick.
