In announcing his recruiting class, Hawaii football coach Nick Rolovich wore a bright aloha shirt and green Santa cap while posing next to an outrigger canoe on Waikiki Beach.
This was a festive time for Rolovich, who filled several spots on his wish list with Wednesday’s signings.
“I’m very happy with the (recruiting) class, especially with the speed we added,” Rolovich said.
On the first day of the early signing period, the Rainbow Warriors signed three speedy receivers, including a former 4-star prospect (Melquise Stovall); a lock-down corner (Cortez Davis), and three Hawaii high school seniors (Arasi Mose, Tiger Peterson, Darius Muasau).
Six of the recruits will be enrolling at UH in January.
“If it fits where you can get a guy mid-year so he’s here in the spring, that’s always better,” Rolovich said. “That was the emphasis, especially during the early signing period.”
But Rolovich said he also wanted to sign high school seniors “to grow with the program.”
Rolovich added it was important to add “local signees who chose to stay at home and take the responsibility of leading this program to phase two.” Mose, an All-State offensive lineman from Saint Louis School, turned down a scholarship offer from USC to sign with the Warriors.
Zach Daniel, a quarterback from The Kinkaid School in Houston, is joining a position featuring three UH returnees — Cole McDonald, Chevan Cordeiro and Jeremy Moussa. Rolovich said Daniel possesses the quarterback’s mentality of accepting challenges.
“You probably don’t pick that ball to throw if you’re scared of competition,” Rolovich said.
Rolovich, who is completing his third season as UH head coach, has said the Warriors are entering the second stage of the program’s growth.
Zach Bowers
>> Linebacker
>> 6-0, 215
>> Chandler High (Ariz.)
>> Nick Rolovich: “He comes from a top program. He’s going to be coached well. He’s going to understand the importance of the little things. His coach is a local boy (Shaun Aguano) who’s been very successful in the high school game in Arizona. Zach was another one who committed early to us and stayed true the whole time. He can run. He’s got some physicality to him. He’s going to be a smart football player.”
Zach Daniel
>> Quarterback
>> 6-0, 190
>> The Kinkaid School (Houston)
>> Rolovich: “I saw him in camps this summer. He’s a real competitive kid. He throws a good ball. He was successful this year as far as leading his football team. He stayed true to us the whole time. I got to see him in person. I think it’s important to him. I think the game is important to him. That’s critical in a quarterback position.”
Cortez Davis
>> Cornerback
>> 5-11, 178
>> Itawamba Community College
>> Rolovich: “He’s got excellent speed. He’s a good technician as far as the cornerback position. This is a guy who really connected with Hawaii on his visit. Sometimes, you just know this guy is going to be somebody who is going to be bringing positive effect to the state by who he is as a person. We wanted to get our overall speed to continue to grow. And he was a big part of that.”
Steven Fiso
>> Utility
>> 6-2, 190
>> Faga’itua High (American Samoa)
Tauivi Ho Ching
>> Linebacker
>> 6-1, 230
>> Mount San Antonio College (Calif.)
>> Rolovich: “The situation happened very fast. We wanted to add a mid-year linebacker. … He’s a guy who’s a very mature kid. He’s been on a mission. He’s from Samoa. JC ball. Excellent grades. Excellent academics. He’ll bring some maturity and a leadership role, also.”
Arasi Mose
>> Offensive lineman
>> 6-5, 345
>> Saint Louis School
>> Rolovich: “I would like to say Arasi’s decision to stay home and play for this program, in 20 years, in a perfect world, will be looked at like how Jesse Sapolu stayed home, how Vince Manuwai stayed home. I love his toughness as an offensive lineman. He’s got a good heart. But on the field, he is very focused on playing the game of football. I played with his dad in junior college. We had a good relationship then. I think Arasi could be one of those names we talk about in the future. It’s not just getting local boys on the team. It’s local boys choosing to stay home.”
Darius Muasau
>> Linebacker
>> 6-1, 225
>> Mililani High
>> Rolovich: “Great family, great kid, another great program. He comes from a winning program. The home visit — wonderful family. The things that you want in a player — as far as his faith, his family, his academics, football — they’re at the forefront of his mind. I’m happy he was able to stay on with us, too.”
Tiger Peterson
>> Defensive back
>> 6-1, 195
>> Kamehameha Schools
>> Rolovich: “I loved Tiger all along. I really fell in love with him when we got to sit down in his house a few weeks ago. He is wired the right way. I think local people are going to appreciate the way he plays. He’s a smart football player but he also has a lot of position versatility. I think representing Hawaii is important to him. He’s a big get for us.”
James Phillips
>> Slotback
>> 5-9, 155
>> Mount San Jacinto College (Calif.)
>> Rolovich: “He has speed and quickness. That’s what jumps off the film. When he came on his visit, he didn’t want to get on the surfboard. He didn’t come to get on the beach. He wanted to watch practice. He wanted to watch Cedric Byrd. He wanted to watch John Ursua. He wanted to talk about every play and what they were doing. It was a pleasant surprise. And he’s four (years) for three (seasons). He’s almost like a high school kid.”
Jared Smart
>> Wideout
>> 6-0, 180
>> Laney College (Calif.)
>> Rolovich: “I think he’s got excellent hands. I think he wins some of the 50-50 balls. He’s not a small guy. When his coach (John Beam) talks about having Davone Bess-type hands, that perks me up. He looks to be a dependable guy who is going to make the tough catches in traffic. I think he’s smart to where he’ll like what we do offensively.”
Melquise Stovall
>> Receiver
>> 5-9, 190
>> Riverside City College (Calif.)
>> Rolovich: “He’s a really mature young man as far as understanding. He’s been through the process. It was kind of straight down to business. I think he can really help us immediately. He has a lot of speed, and he’s been productive in Division I games (in two seasons with California). Getting him in here in mid-year, it’s going to be a fun spring.”
Mason Vega
>> Defensive end
>> 6-3, 265
>> Chaffey College (Calif.)
>> Rolovich: “He fills an immediate need. He was a big get for us. He fills a pretty specific need for our defense. I think who he is as a person is just the cherry on top.”
Kaimana “Bubba” Wa‘a
>> Offensive lineman
>> 6-2, 293
>> Crescent Valley High (Ore.)
>> Rolovich: “Wa‘a is coming home. It’s in his blood. His family is here. … He’s wants to represent his home. … Wa‘a has taken a little bit of the responsibility of rounding the class up.”
