Peter Manuma’s senior year at Campbell High was a surreal time.
Because of the pandemic, the 2020 football season was canceled, classes were conducted online, and there was no senior prom. He received his diploma in a drive-by ceremony. But there was one thing that was clear: He was going to attend the University of Hawaii on a football scholarship.
“If you asked me 10 years ago, I would have said, ‘I’d never go to college,’” Manuma said. “I was all over the place, just a crazy kid, just crazy.… When I was a kid, I wasn’t the best kid.”
But Manuma, who moved to Hawaii from American Samoa when he was 4, was passionate about football. He embraced the sport playing pickup games on Puamaeole Street in Ewa Beach. “It was very intense,” he said. “It turned from two-hand touch to tackle a lot of times.”
He also watched UH football telecasts.
“I was like, it would be cool if I did play college football,” he said. “But I wasn’t thinking of it when I was little.”
But he said when he was in high school, his mother, Kuini, and girlfriend (now fiancee), Relina Teixeira, “got me straight, got me locked in, got me thinking about my future.”
As a Campbell junior in 2019, Manuma was used as a safety, linebacker, running back and receiver. After that season, 247Sports rated Manuma as the 108th-best athlete in the nation and Hawaii’s No. 10 overall prospect. He trained under Kawe Johnson, who was the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s 2012 Defensive Player of the Year, and former UH standout John Ursua.
While attending a mainland camp in the summer ahead of his senior year, Manuma received an offer from the UH coaches. He accepted with the intent to grayshirt in 2021 and join the Rainbow Warriors in January 2022.
During a breakout freshman season in 2022, his mother died of cancer. He said teammates and his mother’s wishes helped him through the painful time.
“I knew my mom would have wanted me to go and play football,” Manuma said. “The team and the coaches showed me love. She only wanted the best for us. I’m forever in debt to her.”
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Manuma has played in all 26 games of his first two UH seasons. Last season, he led the Warriors with 87 tackles, including 60 solo stops. He also rejected any thoughts about entering the transfer portal.
“Just being at home, people in Hawaii are way different,” Manuma said. “I thought about it, but at the end of the day, it ain’t worth it. … I’m staying loyal to Hawaii.”
Manuma acknowledged that he faced many options. “I had to choose a path in life,” Manuma said. “I’m glad I chose the right one.”
Scouting report
The safeties are interchangeable, but essential in the Warriors’ new attacking defense. Peter Manuma and Meki Pei can play in a two-high zone, cover the slots or mix it up in the box. When Pei missed time in camp with an injury, Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen, who transferred from UNLV last year, stepped in and made three picks in two scrimmages. Nickelbacks Justin Sinclair and Eliah Palmer excel on coverages and tracking passes — and receivers. The cornerbacks have drawn inspiration from the “300” movie, in which King Leonidas led 300 Spartans to victory over Persian army that was a 1,000 times larger. Cam Stone and Virdel Edwards II are considered the top pro prospects. But with Edwards recovering from a foot injury, Caleb Brown and JoJo Forest have shown shutdown ability opposite Stone.
At this position
Corners
13 Caleb Brown 6-1 170 Sr.
23 Virdel Edwards II 6-2 215 Sr.
8 JoJo Forest 5-11 179 Sr.
24 Devyn King 5-11 170 Sr.
4 Cam Stone 5-10 200 Sr.
14 Jaheim Wilson-Jones 5-11 165 Jr.
Safeties
1 Peter Manuma 6-0 195 Jr.
29 Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen 6-1 170 Jr.
2 Kona Moore 6-0 190 So.
7 Meki Pei 5-11 185 Sr.
21 Fabian Ross 6-0 200 So.
25 Matagi Thompson 6-2 180 So.
Nickels
9 Elijah Palmer 5-8 175 So.
6 Justin Sinclair5-10 185 Sr.
