Vavae Tata is the new Kahuku football coach, according to sources close to the school.

The sources said the school administration picked Tata, a Vanderbilt University assistant, over four other finalists recommended by a selection committee. Although he did not confirm Tata as the selection, vice principal Ikaika Plunkett said Kahuku will announce the new coach Tuesday morning.

Tata replaces Lee Leslie, who left after one season and returned to Idaho to spend more time with his family. The team went 10-3 under Leslie and made it to the state semifinals.

Tata was an All-State defensive lineman for Saint Louis School in 1992 and ’93. He will leave his post as an assistant in player development for the Commodores. He previously held assistant coaching positions at UCLA, Stanford and San Jose State, as well as McKinley High School.

He was a defensive lineman for UCLA from the 1994 to ’98 seasons, capping his career in the 1999 Rose Bowl.

Among the other finalists were David Te’o (Kamehameha assistant, former Kahuku assistant), Sterling Carvalho (Kahuku assistant, former Waialua assistant) and Asai Gilman (executive director of Education 1st).

About 30 applied for the job, including former Kahuku state-championship-winning coach Siuaki Livai; Kahuku assistant Tommy Heffernan Sr.; Kamehameha assistant and former Kahuku assistant Byron Beatty; Kapolei assistant, former Kailua coach and former Kahuku assistant Darren Johnson; Kahuku junior varsity head coach James Kammerer (who held the title of interim varsity head coach until Tata’s hire); and former Dixie State head coach Greg Croshaw.

Tata has been in trouble in the past. He was arrested for drunk driving in Tennessee in February 2014.

According to a 2014 Associated Press article, Tata’s penalty was the loss of his license for a year and 48 hours in jail, plus a suspended 11-month, 29-day sentence. He was also suspended by Vanderbilt and then moved from defensive line coach to player personnel.

Also, in 1997, while still a student at UCLA, Tata was charged with felony DUI after an accident in which he and two others were injured.

Sources confirmed that Tata was offered the job officially Monday morning and had until 3 p.m. to decide. If he said no, sources said Te’o was next in line to get an offer.