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Hawaii football’s interview policy is that true freshmen should be seen but not heard. This season, three first-year Rainbows Warriors have made a scene with their impactful play.
Linebacker Darius Muasau is part of the linebacker rotation. Steven Fiso is a key contributor on four special-teams units. Lincoln Victor dazzled as a receiver and kickoff returner in Saturday’s 35-16 victory over Central Arkansas. UH does not make true freshmen available for media interviews, but coach Nick Rolovich offered exuberant praise for those three players.
“Darius was well coached (in high school),” Rolovich said of the 2019 Mililani High graduate. “He was raised where there was not a lot of nonsense with him. He loves football, and he’s a great person to be around.”
Muasau is the latest under-recruited Mililani player to find success at UH. Running back Dayton Furuta was voted team captain in training camp. Rush end Kaimana Padello, also a co-captain, is the Warriors’ most productive defensive lineman. UH was the only Division I school to offer a scholarship to Muasau and Furuta. Padello joined UH as a walk-on.
“You know that movie ‘300’?” Mililani coach Rod York said. “Sparta had 300 soldiers, and they were facing a million men. It was the mind-set of the soldiers. Darius, Dayton and Mana could be any of those 300. If you go to battle, you feel good if they’re next to you.”
Rolovich said it was apparent Muasau would have a valued role early in his college career. “You watch how people attack practice,” Rolovich said. “Even in the drills, he wasn’t tentative.”
It was during training camp in August when Fiso caught the coaches’ attention. “Sometimes when freshmen come in, they try to take a step back and see how everything is,” special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial said. “He was a guy, no matter what, whether he made a mistake or not, he was one of the first people in line. He wanted to get the reps. It started to click for him toward the end (of camp).”
Rolovich gives Ghobrial the autonomy to choose any player for special-teams units. Both agreed that Fiso was worthy of being on the kickoff squad. Why now? “Because he runs well,” Rolovich said. “He wants to play. He treasures every snap he gets on special teams. And he’s become a core guy.”
Fiso plays on the kickoff, punt, punt-return and kickoff-return units. He also practices as a safety. But at 190 pounds, he has the potential to play other positions if he fills out his 6-foot-2 frame.
Muasau and Fiso have played in all four games, making it unlikely they will redshirt this year. A player can qualify for a redshirt year if he does not play in more than four games.
Victor, who has played in two games, might make it difficult to keep him under the four-game cap. Against Central Arkansas, he proved to be elusive as a slotback on consecutive plays in the fourth quarter, including an 11-yard touchdown. He also broke two tackles on a 35-yard kickoff return. Victor replaced Melquise Stovall, who was ailing, in the dual role of receiver/returner.
“He prepared for that moment,” Rolovich said of Victor. “He dreamt of that moment. He works hard every day in practice. … A guy like Lincoln helps us in the return game. He can play in any of the slot positions because he cares and he studies and he’s worked hard since he got here.”
Last year, when it became apparent slotback John Ursua was leaning toward not returning for his senior season, the Warriors appeared intent on recruiting junior college receivers. But after some debate, it was decided to offer a scholarship to Victor, a dual-threat quarterback from Vancouver, Wash.
“He checked all the boxes of a player we wanted in our program,” Rolovich said.
After every practice, Victor works on his pass routes and kickoff-return moves. Ghobrial said Victor spends time visualizing plays. The 35-yard kickoff return? “He trained to do that,” Ghobrial said. “He thought of that over and over before he did it. It didn’t just happen in the week of preparation.”
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