​HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. – Oregon position coach Koa Ka’ai was vacationing in Cabo San Lucas but still found some time to get on the phone with Koa Malau’ulu recently.That meant a lot to the 2028 quarterback from Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco as his recruitment ramps up and the Ducks become a bigger contender through this summer.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“He’s cool,” Malau’ulu said at the Battle at the Beach tournament. “He called me in Cabo. I was like, ‘My bad, bro, my bad.’ It’s building the relationship early so I love it.“That’s tight. It shows me I’m a priority so I love it.”The Bosco quarterback is becoming a bigger priority for a lot of programs especially as many of them are wrapped up with 2027 quarterback recruiting and are now focused on 2028.Oregon, Utah, USC, UCLA, Miami, Ohio State, Cal and Stanford are some of the top teams reaching out to Malau’ulu, who said the Ducks and the Golden Bears have probably been the most aggressive so far.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementLike many top prospects gearing up for game-day visits, Malau’ulu wants to get up to Berkeley for the season opener against UCLA. Since both programs are recruiting him so heavily, killing two birds with one stone that weekend would be huge.He raved about a spring visit to Berkeley to meet with all the new coaches so getting back up there is crucial.“I’ll probably take a game-day visit,” Malau’ulu said. “That’s what I’m planning on. I loved it when I was up there. That really opened my eyes.”Just the other day, Malau’ulu was playing pickleball with his cousins – Nico and Madden Iamaleava.Like always, they got to talking about recruiting and Malau’ulu’s interest in UCLA. It is only growing and the positive messages about offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy are more and more helpful.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“I was just with them the other day playing some pickleball,” Malau’ulu said. “They were talking about coach Kennedy and how they like his calls. He coaches them up in a good way but he’s kind of like a friend so I like it.”