University of Hawaii football player Scheyenne Sanitoa was remembered Friday for his long hair, wide smile and deep passion for the sport.

“When it came time to go on the field, he played all out,” said Zeno Choi, a former UH defensive lineman and co-captain. “He played with passion, played with love, played with tenacity. Off the field he was a great guy, very respectful. He did the right things.”

UH officials confirmed that Sanitoa, 21, died Thursday. No cause of death was announced. A person familiar with the situation said friends discovered Sanitoa’s body in his McCully apartment at about 10:30 p.m. Thursday.

UH’s first summer session ended June 28, and the Rainbow Warriors were on a break this week from the offseason conditioning program. Several of the football coaches were on vacation. Head coach Nick Rolovich, who was on the mainland when he learned of Sanitoa’s death, traveled back to Honolulu on Friday. UH athletic director David Matlin met with several players Friday morning.

“Campus counselors were on hand and will continue to be available for all student-athletes and staff to help with the healing process,” Matlin said. “Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with his family, his friends, his teammates, and to all those who loved him.”

Several current and former Rainbow Warriors re-tweeted the UH football program’s post about Sanitoa’s death. Sanitoa’s Facebook page also received numerous expressions of sympathy and shock.

“Scheyenne was a tremendous young man and we are devastated by this news,” Matlin wrote.

Sanitoa, who was born and reared in American Samoa, was a member of the 2016 recruiting class, Rolovich’s first as UH head coach.

Sanitoa redshirted in 2016 and played in three games — all on special teams – in 2017. In 2018 he was part of the rotation after linebacker Jahlani Tavai suffered a season- ending shoulder injury. Sanitoa played in 12 games, starting two, and amassed 30 tackles. He blocked a punt against Louisiana Tech in the 2018 SoFi Hawaii Bowl.

In an interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser in September, Sanitoa recalled his rocky initiation to football in American Samoa.

“For the field I grew up on, it was straight gravel and rocks, like different size of rocks,” Sanitoa said. “All that mattered to us was to come out and have fun with each other and play. … When you’re born and raised in Samoa … you see it as a regular field. … Everybody would leave practice with a bunch of cuts and bruises. We would always come back the next day waiting to get better. It made everyone tougher. It made everyone invincible to all the wounds we were getting, the small cuts and stuff.”

Sanitoa spoke of how football led to college opportunities for Samoan players.

“It opened up their minds to see and know there’s more out there for them to do,” Sanitoa said.

Last year’s UH roster had six players who grew up in American Samoa.

“He was always smiling,” Choi said. “He was a selfless guy. He always put others ahead of himself.”