For the final recruiting push, the University of Hawaii football team put it all on the line.
The Rainbow Warriors secured commitments from two junior college linemen from California — Ernest Moore, an offensive tackle from City College of San Francisco, and defensive tackle Justus Tavai of El Camino College in Torrance.
Both players told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser they will ink binding National Letters of Intent today, the first day of the spring-semester signing period for football prospects.
Two receivers named to the Star-Advertiser’s 2017 All-State first team — Scott McLeod of Saint Francis and Jonah Panoke of Saint Louis School — will sign scholarship agreements with the intent of enrolling full-time at UH in January 2019.
The Warriors addressed several areas — rush end, receiver, quarterback — during the three-day December signing period. They received 18 signed commitments at that time. UH’s goal this period was to restock the trenches that were thinned because of graduations and departures. The Warriors are hopeful of retaining the seven oral commitments they secured through Tuesday.
Moore is the sixth offensive lineman in the 2018 recruiting class, and the fourth to pledge this semester. Moore is 6 feet 61⁄2 and 301 pounds. He has a 7-foot wingspan.
“I’m pretty juiced,” Moore said of joining the Warriors.
Moore said the Warriors are “more of a family than a business. That really stood out to me.”
At CCSF, Moore was the left tackle and Kohl Levao, who signed with UH in December, was the right tackle.
Moore, who plans to major in business, will have three years to play two UH seasons.
Tavai is the younger brother of UH middle linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who led the Warriors in tackles the past two seasons. The elder Tavai served as host during his brother’s recruiting visit this past weekend. On the football reunion, Justus Tavai said, “It’s like the old days (at Mira Costa High School) when I got two years (to play alongside) him. It’s bringing back good memories.”
Tavai is 6-2 and 297 pounds.
Tavai will earn an associate’s degree in May, an NCAA eligibility requirement for a junior college transfer. Because he delayed enrolling as a full-time student until 2017, Tavai will have four years to play three UH seasons.
