All-State center will play for Hawaii

An All-State offensive lineman and a junior college defensive back will join the University of Hawaii football team this summer.

Kaiwi Chung, a center from Kamehameha Schools, and Jamal Mayo, a cornerback from Laney College in Oakland, Calif., will be added to much-needed areas for the Rainbow Warriors.

On his highlight video, Chung is listed at 6 feet and 253 pounds. He joins a UH offensive line that had only 10 healthy players available for the spring game.

Chung was the leader of a Kamehameha offense whose three top rushers combined for 2,040 yards, an average of 7.1 yards per carry, and 16 touchdowns. He was named to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s 2013 All-State first team. He received the most votes among offensive linemen.

Chung also was named as Kamehameha’s offensive player of the year.

He was selected as a captain for the Hawaii all-star football game and is expected to compete at center and on special teams.

Ben Clarke, who started all 24 of his UH games at center, has moved to left tackle. Kody Afusia, who will be a fifth-year senior in the fall, is the No. 1 center.

Mayo said he chose Hawaii because of the coaches, UH’s membership in the Mountain West Conference and an opportunity to compete in the cornerback rotation.

He said UH coach Norm Chow and Laney coach John Beam are good friends.

"It worked out," said Mayo, a graduate of Oakland’s Skyline High, which counts former UH slotback Davone Bess as an alumnus.

Mayo, who said he is 5 feet 11 and 183 pounds, was an offensive player at Skyline but switched to cornerback as a freshman at Laney in 2012.

After intercepting five passes that season, he received several scholarship offers, including one from Missouri. He also had five interceptions, in eight games, in 2013.

But Mayo, who had projected to earn an associate’s degree after three semesters, saw the offers dissolve when he did not earn enough credits to graduate in December.

Mayo is set to earn his AA degree this month. He will have three years to play two UH seasons.