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Michael Eletise, a former All-State offensive lineman from Kaiser High, is transferring from Arizona to the University of Hawaii football team.
“I’m very excited,” said Eletise, who based his decision partly on having “some family stuff to take care of. And my grandparents are getting older. It’s easier for them to see me play if I’m in Hawaii. I talked to my parents, and they were OK with it.”
Eletise, who played in all 12 games for the Wildcats this past season, recently entered the NCAA transfer portal, a list that notifies schools about players’ availability.
Eletise is 6 feet 3 and 315 pounds.
“I’m just an O-lineman come back home to play in front of the home crowd,” Eletise said.
Eletise was an elite prospect as a Kaiser High senior in 2016, a consensus 4-star prospect. He was named as ESPN’s ninth-best offensive tackle. Eletise also was selected to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s All-State first team.
In choosing Arizona, Eletise turned down offers from UCLA, Oregon State, Arizona State, Utah and Boston College.
Eletise redshirted in 2016. In 2017, he played in 11 games at both guard positions. He also was on the No. 1 unit for field-goal and point-after attempts. This past season, he played both guard positions and tackle.
Players transferring between NCAA Division I programs usually are required to redshirt before being eligible to play at their next school. Eletise is exploring the possibility of applying for a special waiver that would allow him to play in games this coming season.
Eletise said he will complete the semester at Arizona, then enroll at UH this summer.
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