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The University of Hawaii football team will be on a Hurricane watch through Wednesday.
The Rainbow Warriors are hopeful that five prospects will put promises into writing on Wednesday, the first day of the spring-semester signing period for football recruits.
Last week, All-State lineman Aaron Faumui of Kapolei High confirmed in a telephone interview he had accepted the Warriors’ scholarship offer — a pledge seconded by Hurricanes head coach Darren Hernandez in an interview and Twitter post.
| UH SPRING COMMITMENTS
PLAYER POS. HT. WT. SCHOOL
Aaron Faumui DL 6-3 280 Kapolei High
Gene Pryor OL 6-3 312 College of the Sequoias (Visalia, Calif.)
Manase Time S 6-0 205 Golden West College (Huntington Beach, Calif.)
Solo Vaipulu OL 6-21/2 300 Centennial High (Corona, Calif.)
Thomas Wade OL 6-7 250 San Clemente (Calif.) High
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But pledges are not official until letters of intent are signed. And although this is the dead period, during which coaches are not permitted face-to-face meetings with unsigned prospects, several schools have intensified their pitches to Faumui, according to Hernandez. Last season, Faumui had 20 tackles for loss, including 14 sacks, and 22 pancake blocks for the Hurricanes playing both ways.
Virginia recruiters visited Faumui this past weekend before the dead period activated. Faumui had canceled a proposed visit to Florida that weekend, but the Gators continue to pursue Faumui, Hernandez said. Wisconsin and Oregon also have kept offers in place.
Faumui has said he grew up following the Warriors, in part because of his uncle Taase Faumui, a former UH defensive end who went on to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders. Taase Faumui was a key member of the UH team that went 11-2 in 1992 and defeated Illinois in the Holiday Bowl.
Hernandez said Aaron Faumui will sign a letter of intent during Wednesday’s session for Hawaii recruits at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.
The Warriors signed 18 players during the December commitment period. For this signing period, they addressed needs on the offensive line and secondary. Safetey Manase Time of Golden West College, and offensive linemen Thomas Wade of San Clemente (Calif.) High, Gene Pryor of College of the Sequoias, and Solo Vaipulu of Centennial High (Corona, Calif.) announced intentions to sign with the Warriors on Wednesday.
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