UH’s Manly Williams earns first start for Hawaii after struggling to find his spot

Every Disney script has a double-ply-Kleenex scene.

For a University of Hawaii football player nicknamed after a character from “The Lion King,” that misty-eyed moment came Saturday when Manly “Pumba” Williams made his first NCAA start.

“I’ve been waiting patiently for my opportunity,” said Williams, who opened at the hybrid position of outside linebacker/rush end. “It finally came. It was my first start. I was happy it came in front of the home crowd.”

Against Navy, Williams made six tackles, including two for loss.

Williams, a 2014 Farrington graduate, took the circuitous route into the Rainbow Warriors’ opening lineup. He committed to UH as 6-foot-4, 180-pound safety. But he was encouraged to grayshirt — delaying enrollment at UH for a semester — to increase his weight. “I put on a little too much weight,” Williams said.

After joining, he was moved to linebacker. When there was a shortage on the defensive line in 2016, he moved to end. “He likes to play standing up,” head coach Nick Rolovich said of Williams’ move to hybrid end, where he can align in a two-point stance.

Williams was admittedly frustrated after redshirting because of a knee issue in 2015 and appearing in six games — mostly on special teams — the past two seasons. “You have to keep doing your job, pushing hard, and your time will come,” Williams said.

Williams shares the perseverance gene with his brother, former UH linebacker Lance Williams, and namesake uncle, Manly Williams, who was one of the fiercest defenders in the program’s history.

The younger Williams was born in Honolulu, but spent ensuing years in American Samoa. He had said when he moved back to Honolulu when he was 8, he had to relearn English. As a teaching aid, he read subtitles of Korean soap dramas and watched a VHS tape of “The Lion King.” Lance Williams called his brother “Pumbaa,” the warthog character. Manly said he spells his nickname, Pumba.

His diligence at Farrington earned him a scholarship offer from the Warriors. Finding a suitable position was more difficult. “He’s been buried for most of his career,” Rolovich said. “He’s always kind of been out of position.”

When the Warriors implemented the hybrid position this spring, the coaches agreed it was a job that finally matched Williams’ qualifications. “Pumba’s a guy with a high football IQ,” said Jacob Yoro, who coaches the position. “He has the ability to understand different schemes. He has a real understanding of what we need him to do in specific situations on defense.”

Williams also has been the student who serves as teacher. “He’s been awesome mentoring the younger guys,” Yoro said. “He’s really taking this opportunity and running with it.”

Of his new role, Williams said: “I rush and I drop (into coverage). It’s the best of both worlds.”

This offseason, Williams kept busy working the concession stand at Les Murakami Stadium. He earned extra spending money — and a valuable skill.

“You need to make the fries nice and crispy,” Williams said of preparing garlic fries. “The garlic is the finishing touch. But the fries are the key.”