Manoa, it seems, has become the land of aloha.

This season, there are 19 transfers from four-year colleges on the University of Hawaii football team’s 102-player roster.

What’s more, nine of them are Hawaii high school graduates, turning UH into a U-turn.

"It’s nice to be at home," said wideout Duke Bukoski, a Saint Louis School graduate who spent a season at Idaho State. "It was a nice experience getting away from home and trying to be on my own. The weather was not really what I expected. I knew it was going to be cold, but that was too cold for me."

The average November temperatures are between 57 degrees and 33 degrees in Pocatello, Idaho.

After earning a bachelor’s degree at Washington, safety Taz Stevenson enrolled in UH’s Pacific Islands Studies program. Of the 23 seniors who will be honored at the Warriors’ home finale against UNLV on Saturday, Stevenson is the only one who is in a master’s program.

"It was a big thing (to transfer to UH)," said Stevenson, a Mililani High graduate. "I went away to a different university (for) the different experiences the world had to offer. But it was great to come back and be around my family and play for the university that I grew up around and watched all the time."

In 2012, Jordan Pu’u-Robinson requested — and received — a release from his Washington State football scholarship to transfer to UH because of family reasons. The NCAA approved a petition allowing Pu’u-Robinson to transfer without having to redshirt.

"The first semester, I had to pay my own way," said Pu’u-Robinson, a Baldwin High graduate. "It was worth it. I’m happy to be back home, be with my family and teammates, great coaches and coach (Norm) Chow."

Pu’u-Robinson was supposed to play two seasons at UH. But because of a variety of injuries that limited him to four games in the first two years, he received a medical waiver to play as a sixth-year senior in 2014.

"It feels like I’ve been around forever," Pu’u-Robinson said. "I remember my first day walking into the Washington State athletic complex. Now I have less than two weeks (in the regular season). It’s crazy."

He recalled how he was first welcomed by the UH defensive linemen collectively known as the "Dog Pound" in 2012.

"They took me in like a brother," said Pu’u-Robinson, who was moved to tight end a semester later.

"The last couple weeks here, I’ve been trying to take it all in, embrace my teammates and embrace the camaraderie of it," Pu’u-Robinson said.

Defensive lineman Kory Rasmussen, who started his NCAA career at Colorado, transferred in 2013. He was on the UH defensive line before moving to the offensive line and then back to defense.

"I love playing with all these guys," said Rasmussen, who has two years of eligibility remaining after this season. Rasmussen, who was on scholarship at Colorado, is a walk-on at UH. During the offseason, he works at a hospital.