Recruiting Update: 02-04-07

Stephen Tsai has more on Drew Uperesa.

"He's a hard worker," Kevin said. "He's a good kid. I'm very proud of him."

Drew also received an offer from UNLV. "It was a good experience to visit," Drew said.

Kevin said: "That wasn't the place for him to go for four years. He's a local boy. He's wanted to be a Warrior for a while."

Drew praised his UH host, saying offensive lineman Aaron Kia is "a good guy."

Drew said the plan is to gain at least another 20 pounds. "I'm going to work at it," he said.

Dane said: "He can definitely fill out. He has a good work ethic. He's a smart kid. He listens to people. He does what the coaches ask."

In a local recruiting article, Paul Honda and Dave Reardon also talk to Drew, who says he's planning on grayshirting.

Uperesa (6-feet-2, 245 pounds) said the plan is for him to enroll at Manoa in January 2008. In the meanwhile, he'll have time to bulk up and prepare for the rigors of Division I.

"I really like the idea of grayshirting," Uperesa said.

They also write that recent UH commit George Kauwalu will likely go to a JC to catch up on his academics. And in a sidebar, Honda and Reardon list all the players committed to UH leading up to LOI day.

Local UH commitments
» George Kauwalu, OLB/S, Waianae
» Levi Legay, OL, Kealakehe
» Elijah Lesu, S, Farrington
» John Manu-Olevao, OL, Kahuku
» Vaughn Meatoga, DL, Kamehameha
» Miah Ostrowski, SB, Punahou
» Gabe Tuata, SB, Kealakehe
» Drew Uperesa, OL, Punahou

other UH commitments
» Austin Hansen, OL, Valencia (Calif.) High School
» Ray Hisatake, DT, San Mateo (Calif.) JC
» Leon Jackson, RB, Nebraska
» Kevin Konrath, LB, Brother Rice (Chicago) High School
» Chris Leatigaga, DE, Foothills (Calif.) JC
» Matagisila Lefiti, OL, Mater Dei High School (Calif.)
» Josh Leonard, DE, Sierra (Calif.) JC
» Francis Maka, OLB, San Mateo (Calif.) JC
» Ryan Mouton, CB, Blinn (Texas) JC
» Korey Reynolds, DL, Hoover (Ala.) High School
» Erik Robinson, S, Navarro (Texas) JC

Looks like a great list of great players. We'll find out who else will be grayshirting, redshirting, JC-ing or HPU-ing a little later, and June Jones will probably be talking about each of the signees after letter of intent day. Speaking of which, from a 2-3-06 Dave Reardon article, here are comments June made last year about the 2006 eventual grayshirts and redshirts who will be playing for the Warriors in 2007. I color-coordinated it too, because that's how I roll.

Po'okela Ahmad (6-2, 205, LB; Kapolei): "When I watched him on tape, I could not believe what I was looking at. He has speed and athleticism and I was surprised nobody else was on his bandwagon."

...

Mitch Farney (6-0, 185, WR; Phoenix, Ariz.): "I would project him to be a slot for us. He is a legitimate receiver as far as catching the ball and being able to break away."

Brysen Ginlack (6-3, 275, OL; Kahuku): "He'll probably redshirt. He has the athleticism we like and he's working real hard in the weight room. He has a lot of upside."

...

Keenan Jones (5-11, 180, CB; Compton College, Calif.): "He's maybe as good a corner as I've looked at on film. Jerry (defensive coordinator Glanville) and I both said we'd draft him."

Kiran Kepo'o (6-2, 220, QB; Iolani): "Kiran is competitive and an accurate passer who seems to have all the intangible things. He's been running a system similar to ours, so it was pretty easy to evaluate him in terms of being able to do what we need."

Clayton Laurel (6-3, 255, DL; Leilehua): "He's so athletic. Very long arms."

...

Jared Lene (6-4, 240, OL; Altus, Okla.): "Jared Lene will grow. I've known his dad for a long time, and he's a big guy. Weight's not going to be a problem. He's already strong and he's a hard worker. And he can run. He's our kind of guy."

...

Elliott Purcell (6-3, 230, LB; Saint Louis): "I could see him stepping in as a starter (in 2007). He's going to get bigger and stronger."

Greg Salas (6-2, 190, CB/WR; Chino, Calif.): "He's one of the most talented high school athletes we've brought in here. He's an unbelievable receiver, but also a great bump-and-run defender. He did everything for their high school."

Spencer Smith (6-0, 180, S; Kell, Marietta, Ga.): "You could tell he was serious about (coming to Hawaii). He's a hitter."

Rick Taylor (5-11, 177, WR; Nease, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.): "We grayshirted him last year. We saw his tape last year and he played in an offense like ours in high school."

Alasi Toilolo (6-3, 230, DE; Kapolei): "He's the defensive end of the future, very athletic. He reminds me of Mel (Purcell) and Ikaika (Alama-Francis)."

There are some others not listed including Kealoha Pilares, Afa Bridenstine, Kenny Estes, etc., as well as some walk-ons who are bound to be future Warrior superstars. I got some help for this list from this Warrior Beat post from September as well as Sportshawaii.com's awesome 2007 recruiting prospects thread. Between the 2007 commits and the 2006 grayshirts and redshirts, there's a lot of good players coming in this year!

GO WARRIORS!!!!