On the first day of the midseason signing period, the University of Hawaii football team added to its defensive secondary.

Manu Rasmussen of Riverside (Calif.) City College told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser he accepted a football scholarship from the Rainbow Warriors.

Rasmussen said he signed a letter of intent on Wednesday, the first day transfers were permitted to put their commitments in writing.

He will enroll at UH in January.

“It was the whole atmosphere there,” Rasmussen said of his decision. “I have a lot of family there. Coach (Nick) Rolovich has done a really good job with the program.”

Rasmussen was born in Hawaii, but moved to Tigard, Ore., when he was 5.

He said he began playing football in the second grade.

“I fell in love with it,” said Rasmussen, who grew up as a fan of NFL stars Sean Taylor and Tyrann Mathiu. Rasmussen was a running back and receiver at Tigard High.

He attended the University of Montana for two years, playing in 12 games as a second-year freshman in 2015. He transferred to RCC the past spring.

Rasmussen was on a UH-sponsored visit two weeks ago when he was reunited with defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa. Suiaunoa was on Montana’s coaching staff when Rasmussen played for the Grizzlies.

“I have ties with Coach Legi,” Rasmussen said. “Hawaii is the right fit for me.”

Manu Rasmussen and UH nose tackle Kory Rasmussen are first cousins. Manu Rasmussen and his family frequently visited Hawaii. “Our families are close,” Kory Rasmussen said.

Manu Rasmussen has an “808” tattoo on his arm. Rasmussen and his best friend, Daren Rodrigues, whose father was a punt returner for UH in 1985, decided to get tattoos honoring their birth state.

Rasmussen visited South Alabama the past weekend, but he was set on signing with Hawaii.

“I made the right move,” he said.

He also is focused on academics and football. He recently sold his Xbox.

“It was distracting me,” he said.

On Wednesday, the Warriors also received a signed commitment from defensive end Jamie Tago.

Tago initially joined the Warriors as a grayshirt in 2014. He was at UH for two seasons before leaving the past spring because of a non-football situation. He played this past season for Garden City College.

By re-signing with UH, Tago rescinded an oral commitment to Kansas. He also received offers from Kentucky and Mississippi.

Three grayshirts also will join in January. They are defensive back Eugene Ford, wideout Marcus Armstrong-Brown and defensive tackle Kalepo Naotala.