The top running back from one of the nation’s top high school football teams has accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Hawaii.
Daveon “Dae Dae” Hunter of Chandler (Ariz.) High said he will sign his National Letter of Intent this morning, the first day football prospects may put their binding commitments in writing. The Rainbow Warriors are expected to sign about a dozen players today, including defensive lineman Kemon Smith of Blinn College.
Hunter said UH was the right “fit,” and that he felt welcomed during a recruiting visit when he met the players and toured the campus.
Hunter grew up in Colorado but moved to Arizona this past summer. At Chandler, which is ranked No. 9 nationally in this week’s USA Today Super 25, Hunter had a breakout season. In 13 games, Hunter rushed for 1,748 yards and 33 touchdowns. In Arizona’s Open Division championship game, Hunter ran for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He had rushes of 74 and 71 yards. Chandler finished 13-0.
Hunter is 5 feet 11 and 195 pounds. He said he ran 40 yards in sub-4.5 seconds at combines in Wyoming and Nebraska.
Hunter played running back and linebacker before focusing solely on offense after moving to Arizona. “It was an easy choice,” said Hunter, who was viewed as a better prospect at running back. “It’s just the adrenaline you get when you get the ball and make someone miss. Making a big run, you don’t get a better feeling than that, really.”
Hunter also made a smooth transition to his new school.
“The care about everything is way more intense at Chandler,” Hunter said. “It was different from what I was used to. It was easy to adjust, really. Just to be welcomed by the team made it easy. I feel like I’ve been here for a couple years.”
He also blended into the zone-blocking offense.
“Really, I’m comfortable with all that as long as the ball’s in my hands,” Hunter said.
The biggest change was going from Colorado’s climate to Arizona’s.
“I think it was my second week out here, we had practice and it was — whoo— it was like 115 degrees outside, and we were running and doing conditioning for three days,” Hunter said. “When I tell you it was hard, it was hard. I was sweating so much.”
Hunter, who also can punt and return kicks, said he works extensively on speed and footwork drills, as well as weight training.
The Warriors were seeking to reload a backfield that will be thinned after running backs Dayton Furuta and KK Padello complete their UH eligibility at the end of the Dec. 24 SoFi Hawaii Bowl. Running back Fred Holly III appears to no longer be on the active roster after entering the transfer portal two weeks ago. He did not travel to Boise for UH’s appearance in the Mountain West title game on Dec. 7.
Miles “Bam Bam” Reed and Hekili Keli‘iliki are the top returning backs.
