For two Hawaii football players, there is a circle around Saturday’s square box on the August calendar page.
“I circled that date last year,” safety Donovan Dalton said of this weekend’s season opener against Arizona at Aloha Stadium.
Left tackle Ilm Manning said he had that date “in mind since the schedule came out. I’ve been waiting for this game.”
Both players will be wearing the home uniforms when they go against visitors from their home state. Dalton is a 2017 graduate of Saguaro High in Scottsdale, Ariz., which is 115 miles from the Wildcats’ Tucson campus. Manning grew up in Glendale, Ariz., roughly a 1-hour, 50-minute drive from Arizona Stadium.
“I wish they had at least offered,” Manning said. “I don’t think they ever looked at me.”
But the Rainbow Warriors kept track of the agile-footed, power-blocking offensive lineman. On Dec. 20, 2017 — the first day of the early signing period for the 2018 recruiting class — Manning faxed a copy of his signed letter of intent to UH. It was processed at 5:15 a.m., making him the Warriors’ first official commit.
Manning said he was “annoyed but not hurt” that the Wildcats did not make an offer. “I knew if I kept on working, somebody would have eventually offered me,” Manning said. “And Hawaii opened up the door for me.”
Manning was unable to attend UH’s bridge program — the summer session leading to the start of the 2018 training camp — but he made up for it with a quick impact. By the second week of camp, Manning was established as the No. 1 left tackle. Manning and right guard Solo Vaipulu were among four true freshman offensive linemen nationally to start every game in 2018. In 14 games and more than 950 snaps, including 545 pass attempts, Manning was not assessed a holding penalty.
“The footwork came in clutch,” said Manning, who is 6-4 and 280 pounds. “And the handwork. And all the techniques (offensive line) Coach (Mark) Weber taught me.”
Dalton said he took visits to Arizona and Arizona State. “I talked to them,” Dalton said.
Before discussions went further, Dalton received an offer from the Warriors. “I never thought I’d play here,” Dalton said. “Then I got the offer, really looked at things, and then really felt the love from all the coaches.”
Soon after, Dalton signed with the Warriors.
“I’m happy it worked out,” said Dalton, who is 6-4 and 200 pounds.
Dalton is primarily a strong safety in the defensive-secondary rotation. In UH’s five-DB scheme, duties are fluid, and Dalton can be involved as part of a three-safety zone to an in-the-box defender.
“I’m learning every day,” Dalton said. “That’s the biggest thing.”
Dalton’s family has a brief connection with Hawaii. His father, Donny Dalton, was a linebacker on the Minnesota team that suffered a surprising 17-3 loss to UH in the 1997 opener. That was the Warriors’ only victory over a power-five school in Fred von Appen’s three seasons as head coach.
Dalton was born in Apple Valley, Minn., and lived there until the end of his sophomore year of high school. The family moved to Arizona to take care of an elderly relative. Dalton then developed into a standout player at Saguaro High.
