Koa Peat comes from an elite athletic family, and Koa Peat parents, Todd and Jana Peat, play a major role in shaping his journey.
With an NFL father and a multi-sport athlete mother, the youngest of seven is now a standout freshman at Arizona.
Koa Peat, born January 20, 2007, in Gilbert, Arizona, is a freshman power forward for the Arizona Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference.
He stands 6 feet 8 inches and weighs 235 pounds, making him one of the most physically imposing freshmen in the sport.
He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top-ranked players in the class of 2025, committing to Arizona live on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN on March 27, 2025. He wears jersey number 10.
Koa Peat is the only freshman in the country to post 18 points, 5 assists and 0 turnovers in a win over a Top 25 team this season.
— Arizona Basketball (@ArizonaMBB) December 10, 2025
18 pts, 4 reb, 5 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl vs Auburn pic.twitter.com/WZlwVRp3lk
His first collegiate game said everything. On November 3, 2025, he led all scorers with 30 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a block in a nationally televised 93-87 upset win over No. 3 Florida, the defending national champions.
Through the 2025-26season, he is averaging 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game on 54.7% shooting from the floor.
Arizona earned a No. 1 seed in the West Region of the 2026NCAA Tournament, and Koa is projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft by multiple mock boards.
He is the youngest of seven children, and both of his parents played sports. That’s where the story really starts.
Todd and Jana Peat: The NFL Lineman and the Hawaiian Three-Sport Athlete Who Built an Athletic Dynasty
Todd Peat Sr., born May 20, 1964, in Champaign, Illinois, is Koa’s father and a former NFL offensive lineman. He stood 6-2and played at 300 pounds– a size that became something of the family’s baseline.
At Northern Illinois University, he was a three-time All-Mid-American Conference selection (second team as a freshman in 1983, first team in 1984 and 1985), a two-time team captain. He was named the Huskies’ co-captain and MVP as a senior. He was later inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996.
The St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in the 11th round of the 1987NFL Draft with the 285th overall pick, and he went on to earn a spot on the NFL All-Rookie unit that same year – recognised unanimously by the Pro Football Writers Association, UPI, Pro Football Weekly, and Football Digest.
He spent six seasons in the NFL with the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals and the Los Angeles Raiders, playing 79 games in total. He also competed for the Frankfurt Galaxy in the World League of American Football in 1995 before retiring.
Todd Sr. came from humble roots. His daughter Leilani described the family bluntly:
His parents didn’t have very much money.
He has five siblings, and then two or three adopted siblings later on. Neither of his parents had a college education, so he was the first one to get one in his family.” He broke that pattern and then built something entirely new on the other side of it.
When the Cardinals relocated to Phoenix in 1988, Todd Sr. came with them and never really left. He built a house in Arizona during the off-season and stayed.
It was there he met Jana – the woman who would become his wife and the other half of the most athletic household in the state.
Jana Peatis, a Native Hawaiian born in Hawaii, and her background in sport runs parallel to her husband’s in its own quieter way. She was a three-sport athlete in high school, excelling in softball, volleyball, and basketball– with basketball being her favourite.
She wasn’t a Division I athlete, but she didn’t need to be. Her DNA showed up in seven children who collectively played in programs across the country.
Koa’s first name says it directly. “Koa” is a Hawaiian word meaning “strong warrior”, and his parents gave it to him deliberately.
Through Jana, Koa carries a Native Hawaiian identity that runs alongside his father’s African American background – a dual heritage that shapes his name, his story, and the way his family talks about who they are.
“I would hope that we’re seen as positive, kind and talented,”
Jana
That’s not a boast. It’s just what the record shows.
Koa Peat Parents and Ethnicity: African American and Native Hawaiian
Koa is biracial – African American through Todd Sr., who grew up in Champaign, Illinois, as the first in his family to attend college, and Native Hawaiian through Jana, who is identified on Koa’s official Arizona Wildcats profile as Kānaka Maoli – the Indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands.
His name carries both sides of that identity. “Koa” is a Hawaiian word meaning “strong warrior,” and it goes deeper than that – the koa tree was used by early Hawaiians to build ocean-going canoes and was considered the wood of royalty. Todd and Jana didn’t just pick a name that sounded strong. They connected their youngest son to something much older.
That identity showed up in his actions at Perry High School, where Koa volunteered at the Gila River Indian Community south of Phoenix as a youth basketball and football coach. He chose it. For someone who carries indigenous heritage through his mother, it wasn’t a detour – it fit.
Seven Kids. Seven Athletes. One Family That Took Over Arizona.
The Peat children, oldest to youngest: Todd Jr., Leilani, Andrus, Cassius, Maya, Keona, and Koa. Every one of them played college sports. That’s not luck. That’s what Todd and Jana built.
Todd Jr.played college football at Nebraska, Eastern Arizona, and Texas A&M-Commerce. Leilani played women’s college basketball at Seattle University and the University of San Francisco.
Andrusis is the family’s most decorated, an offensive tackle who played at Stanford from 2011to 2014– during which time the Cardinal went 44-7 and appeared in two Rose Bowls – before being selected 13th overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2015NFL Draft. He is currently with the Pittsburgh Steelers, now in his tenth NFL season.
Cassius played college football at Michigan State, Pima Community College, Scottsdale Community College, and Virginia. May played women’s college basketball at Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Texas Tech University.
Then there’s Keona – and his story is one the family doesn’t talk about lightly. In June 2021, Keona fractured his tibia at basketball practice ahead of his senior football season. What should have been a routine surgery turned into something no parent wants to live through.
He had an allergic reaction to medication during the procedure, went into anaphylactic shock, and was placed in a medically induced coma for four days. He coded multiple times. Jana, who was on her way to Las Vegas for one of Koa’s basketball tournaments when it happened, spoke about it plainly: “He died.
He was dying.” Keona survived, recovered from severe nerve damage on the left side of his body, and was discharged from the hospital three weeks later. He still played in the last three regular-season games of his senior year.
He is now a football player for the Arizona State Sun Devils – at the same university his youngest brother is playing against in Pac-12 rivalries today.
Koa was 13 years old when all of that happened to Keona. He watched it. He processed it. And he kept going.
“They push me every day to be better, be better than I was the day before,” Koa has said about his family. His brothers’ advice when he was growing up was simple: “Keep my head down and keep working.” That’s what the Peat household produced. Not flashy motivational speeches. Just results.
Todd and Jana started their kids in organised sports around age four or five. Koa played flag football alongside basketball leagues in his early years – a nod to the family’s football legacy – before his body and his passion both pointed clearly toward the hardwood.
His older brother Andrus saw it early: “With Koa, even at a young age, you could see his passion for basketball. Just the skill and the love of the game he has. That’s why he decided to go that route.”
At Perry High School in Gilbert, Arizona – coached by Sam Duane Jr., who had already coached two of Koa’s older brothers to state titles – Koa won four consecutive state championships.
He played through a broken right hand in the 2025postseason, returning days after the injury to score 16 points in the semifinals and 20 points in the title game. He finished his high school career with a 104-14 team record and back-to-back Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year awards.
Before college, he also became the first player in USA Basketball history to win four men’s international gold medals at the junior level, taking gold at the 2022FIBA U17 World Cup, the 2023FIBA U16 Americas Championship, the 2024FIBA U17 World Cup, and the 2025FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland – where he averaged 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.
The family has given back, too. Koa has hosted free youth basketball camps through the Arizona Saints Foundation. Andrus runs the Peats’ Purpose Foundation Youth Football Camp.
The whole family has been regulars at coach Duane’s Tempe Hoop Stars youth basketball camp. That part – the community piece – is Jana’s fingerprint as much as anyone’s.
Koa has said simply that his parents mean “everything” to him. Todd Sr. is the blueprint he traces his physicality and competitiveness back to. Jana is where his name comes from, where his Hawaiian identity lives, and where that quiet, composed confidence was shaped long before any college coach saw it. Put both of them together, and you get a kid who made his debut by dropping 30 on the defending national champions without blinking.
AI Overview
Koa Peat is a five-star freshman power forward for the Arizona Wildcats, known for his elite size, versatility, and immediate impact in college basketball. Born in 2007, he stands 6-foot-8 and was a top-ranked recruit in the 2025 class.
He is the son of former NFL player Todd Peat Sr. and comes from a highly athletic family. Peat is biracial, with African American and Native Hawaiian heritage.
After committing to The Pat McAfee Show, he quickly proved his potential with standout performances, including a 30-point debut. He is already projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
FAQs
Is Koa Peat related to Rodney Peat?
No, Koa Peat is not related to Rodney Peete. While both share the same last name and have NFL connections, there is no known family relationship between them.
What ethnicity is Koa Peat?
Koa Peat is biracial. He has African American heritage from his father, Todd Peat Sr., and Native Hawaiian roots from his mother, giving him a diverse cultural background.
Who is Koa Peat’s mother?
Koa Peat’s mother, Jana Peat, is a Native Hawaiian (Kānaka Maoli) and a former three-sport athlete who played softball, volleyball, and basketball in high school. She played a key role in raising a family of seven athletes and instilling discipline, values, and community involvement in her children.
Is Koa Peat related to Andrus Peat?
Yes, Koa Peat is the younger brother of Andrus Peat. Andrus is a former first-round NFL Draft pick and one of the most accomplished athletes in the Peat family.
How many siblings does Koa Peat have?
Koa Peat has six siblings, making him the youngest of seven children. All of his siblings have played college sports, highlighting the family’s exceptional athletic background.
