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A lay-away recruit will be delivered to the Manoa campus in January.
Ipulasi "Lasi" Eselu made an oral commitment to the Hawaii football team in July 2009, but did not meet the requirements to be part of the 2010 recruiting class.
Instead, Eselu earned the needed credits at UH-West Oahu to enroll at UH in January.
"It’s about time," said Eselu, who will go on scholarship as part of the Warriors’ 2012 recruiting class.
As a Moanalua High senior, Eselu was a stand-up end who could play on the line or in space as the strongside linebacker. He is projected to play the same role at UH.
In committing to UH two years ago, Eselu turned down offers from Washington, Colorado and Weber State.
McMackin is WAC’s highest-paid coach
Hawaii’s Greg McMackin is the highest-paid head football coach in the Western Athletic Conference this year, according to a survey of salaries compiled by USA Today that was published today.
McMackin’s salary is listed at $1.15 million, nearly double that of the second-highest-paid coach, Fresno State’s Pat Hill. Hill is listed at $679,000 after taking a $500,000 salary reduction. The Bulldogs play the Warriors on Saturday at Aloha Stadium.
Nevada’s Chris Ault, whose Wolf Pack lead the WAC, receives $438,952.
Former UH coach June Jones receives $1,727,082 at Southern Methodist, while Navy’s Ken Niumatalolo, a former UH quarterback and assistant coach, earns $1,538,190.
Texas’ Mack Brown is listed as the highest-paid college coach in America, receiving $5.19 million.
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Instead of attending a junior college on the mainland, Eselu enrolled at UH-West Oahu with the intent of earning enough transferrable credits.
Eselu said head coach Greg McMackin "kept his word" in reserving a scholarship.
"I kept my word, too," Eselu said. "Hawaii is everything to me. I wanted to stay home and play ball. Why not play for Hawaii? I was born and raised here. Not many people get an opportunity to stay home and play for Hawaii."
Moanalua coach Arnold Martinez said Eselu is quick and athletic.
"He can cover and chase down the quarterback," Martinez said. "He was so versatile for us up front."
Eselu is 6 feet 3 and 230 pounds. He will have four years to play four seasons.
Brown is leading tackler
Weakside linebacker Aaron Brown leads the Warriors with 80 tackles, an impressive total because he was suspended for the opening game and has endured a variety of ailments since.
In last week’s loss to Nevada, Brown had 12 tackles and recovered a fumble despite suffering from a stomach virus. He said he received IV treatment the night before the game, during warm-ups and at halftime. He never considered missing the game.
"My team needed me," Brown said. "My legs worked. My arms worked. Why not play?"
This season, Brown has had injuries to his hamstring, knee and ankle. But he has missed only a few series, mostly to give work to younger players.
"You have to do what you have to do," Brown said. "You have to earn that scholarship."
Ornellas rolls hamstrings
Cornerback Kawika Ornellas is on a roll.
For every game — home or away — and practice, he brings a PVC pipe he bought at a hardware store.
Either face down or on his side, he rolls his legs on the pipe.
"It loosens up the legs," said Ornellas, who has had hamstring issues in the past. "I like it. It really helps."
No Pacquiao after all
Manny Pacquiao will not attend Saturday’s game, so there will be no ceremony honoring him.
The mayor’s office had planned to proclaim Saturday as "Manny Pacquiao Day" and fete the boxing champion before kickoff.
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