The Hawaii football team continued to invest in its defense, with commitments secured from two junior college defensive backs.
Cameron Lockridge of Reedley (Calif.) College and Logan Taylor of El Camino College (Torrance, Calif.) are the first two schoolarship commitments for Todd Graham, who was hired as UH’s head coach a week ago. Earlier, Graham retained Jacob Yoro and Abraham Elimimian as defensive assistants, and hired former Azusa Pacific coach Victor Santz Cruz as defensive coordinator. Elimimian and Santa Cruz are former Rainbow Warriors.
Lockridge, who is nearly 6 feet and 175 pounds, is the grandson of baseball legend Ken Griffey Sr. and the nephew of Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.
Lockridge, who was born and reared in Florida, played cornerback, nickelback and safety at Reedley. He is capable of running 40 yards in 4.5 seconds and soaring 37 inches on a vertical jump. He first dunked a basketball when he was a high school freshman.
Lockridge visited Hawaii this past weekend, and came away impressed with the program. “The best part was meeting the players and the coaches,” he said. “And surfing. Surfing was pretty good.”
Lockridge added: “It was a good fit, to be honest. I loved it.”
Lockridge will have four years to play three UH seasons.
Elimimian was the point recruiter for Lockridge and Taylor, a hard-hitting safety.
Taylor was on the Narbonne High team that played Saint Louis School at Aloha Stadium in 2017. Taylor returned to Hawaii on his official recruiting visit this past weekend.
“I always knew (Hawaii) was a beautiful place,” Taylor said. “On my visit, I really realized how beautiful it is, seeing all the different places, how beautiful the campus is. It felt like a family environment. It felt like I could come here, put my head down, and get to my ultimate goal of making it to the league, and getting a degree.”
Taylor, who is 6 feet and 200 pounds, said he always preferred the defensive side. “I like to hit,” he said. “I like to give out hits.”
As a Narbonne senior, he signed with Southern Utah, where he quickly broke into the starting lineup. He then transferred to El Camino, where he made 65 tackles as a sophomore.
Taylor will have three years to play two seasons.
Lockridge and Taylor will put their commitments in writing on Feb. 5, the first day of the spring-semester signing period for football prospects.
