There were no koalas, no K-Pop singers, no tag-team wrestlers.
In contrast to the splashy displays of past years, it was an understated presentation when University of Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich awarded a football scholarship to defensive end Fanupo Peapealalo.
The bestowal matched Peapealalo’s unassuming personality. “It was smooth,” Peapealalo said. “It was a blessing.”
Defensive line coach Ricky Logo had hinted that something was in the works. “It was still a surprise,” said Peapealalo, a fifth-year senior from Oceanside, Calif. “I know there were other people in (consideration).”
“That’s Fanupo,” Logo said. “He’s always thinking about others before he thinks about himself. That speaks volumes.”
Peapealalo is practicing as a strong-side defensive end, a group that also includes Jonah Laulu, Mason Vega and Pumba Williams. “He just wants to help the team,” Logo said. “There are guys in front of him. It doesn’t stop him from working on what he needs to work on. He’ll do whatever we need him to do.”
Peapealalo took the circuitous route to Manoa. Following his 2015 graduation from Oceanside High, Peapealalo attended Graceland University, an NAIA school in Lamoni, Iowa. “My brother was over there,” he said. “My parents wanted me to go where I had family.”
At the end of his sophomore season, Graceland changed head coaches — and Peapealalo decided to switch paths. “I wanted to leave and try to compete at a different level,” he said. His uncle, Carson Peapealalo, who played for the Warriors in 1993, contacted the UH coaches. Peapealalo was invited to join the Warriors as a walk-on.
He was 6-3 and 240 pounds when he redshirted in 2017. Last season, he appeared in one game. But his reps have increased in spring training and training camp. This summer, Peapealalo worked out in the mornings, studied video after that, then went to work in security at Ala Moana Center. “Those things behind the scenes, the players see it,” Logo said.
Rolovich said Peapealalo’s commitment did not go unnoticed. In the offseason, he gained another 20 pounds, and now weighs 275. “Eating was a struggle,” Peapealalo said. “It was hard to put on weight.”
On deciding to offer the scholarship, Rolovich said, “it was just how hard he worked and sacrificed for this team. He’s done a great job in the classroom. And I had (a scholarship) to give. You take all the pieces. He checks all the boxes.”
Logo said: “You talk about a kid who came from a lower-division school. He really came here with nothing. He had to earn the respect of his teammates. He had to earn the respect of the coaches. He did that. He did well in the classroom — all A’s and B’s. He never complains.”
