Fred Ulu-Perry, a highly regarded offensive lineman, will not participate in the University of Hawaii football team’s upcoming spring training because of medical and personal issues.
Ulu-Perry remains on the roster as a scholarship player, is attending classes and is in good academic standing with the school. Ulu-Perry told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser last week he hopes to resume workouts with the Rainbow Warriors this summer.
Ulu-Perry, who redshirted this past season after transferring from UCLA in December 2015, was projected to compete for the starting center’s job. Leo Koloamatangi, who completed his UH eligibility at the end of the Hawaii Bowl, finished the 2016 season as the No. 1 center.
As a Saint Louis School senior in 2015, Ulu-Perry was rated as ESPN.com’s No. 1 guard and Scout.com’s No. 1 center.
He signed with UCLA in February 2015. He played in eight games that season as an offensive guard, short-yardage runner and defensive tackle. But he left the Bruins twice that year because of personal reasons — for three games in September 2015 and for good following that Thanksgiving weekend.
After requesting — and receiving — a scholarship release, Ulu-Perry signed a scholarship agreement with the Warriors in December 2015, becoming Nick Rolovich’s first recruit as UH head coach. Rolovich was hired in late November 2015.
At the time, Ulu-Perry said of UH, “I felt my heart was always here.”
Ulu-Perry was reunited with UH offensive line coach Chris Naeole, who had served as a mentor for several years.
Asotui Eli, John Wa‘a and Chris Posa have experience at center. In two seasons, Eli started 20 games at center. Wa‘a, who started all 14 games at left guard in 2016, practiced as the back-up center last year. Posa, who transferred to UH in August after graduating from Alabama, can play each of the three interior line positions. It also is widely believed that left tackle Dejon Allen has the potential to play center.
