UH cornerback Jalen Perdue making plays, opening some eyes

If you sleep on Jalen Perdue, the University of Hawaii cornerback might run it back on you as he did after intercepting a pass in Wednesday’s spring practice.

“It comes down to the focus for him. He’s one of, if not the fastest guy on the team,” UH cornerbacks coach Abe Elimimian said about the senior.

Perdue had one of the two long pick-6s in Wednesday’s practice — the other being defensive lineman John Tuitupou’s off a tipped pass — and was the second interception the former junior college transfer recorded in consecutive days.

“Coach emphasizes us keeping our eyes on our man,” Perdue said. “We take everything to the grass and work on it before practice starts, during practice, and after practice. That was just kind of a big play that we work on.”

“One thing we’ve been honing on is being more focused. Being more focused on his alignment, on his assignment, and then his technique,” Elimimian said. “What started happening is he’s doing those things and now he’s making plays on the ball. It’s not been easy for him climbing a mountain and he’s finally starting to understand how to play the position.”

Perdue is in his third season at UH after transferring from Antelope Valley College in his hometown of Lancaster, Calif. A wrist injury sidelined him for much of 2020 and in 2021, he played mostly as a backup cornerback before breaking out as a kick returner in the final two games of the season, totaling 148 yards over seven returns.

“I’ve always wanted to showcase my speed and that I could hold the ball and be an offensive player too,” Perdue said about fielding kicks in fall camp. “I’m honestly excited to show that side too.”

Wednesday was one of the more energetic and expressive practices in fall camp, with both sides of the ball celebrating after huge plays. The offensive players’ sideline celebrated when quarterback Brayden Schager found tight end Jordan Murray during the two-point conversion drill, and the defensive sideline did the same on Tuitupou’s interception.

“Energy just helps the whole team grow and play faster and more physical,” Perdue said. “Once one person on a team is hyped, the whole team is. We try to keep everybody’s head straight, keep everybody intense. You try to make sure everybody’s just good, up to par, and ready.”