Hawaii cornerback Rojesterman Farris II’s first name is a composition of four names.
His football success is a collaboration of assistance from friends, teammates and coaches.
“A lot of people have helped me,” said Farris, a fourth-year junior who will make his 30th start in Saturday’s SoFi Hawaii Bowl at Aloha Stadium.
It was a family friend, Terrence Wood, who circulated the highlight videos of Farris’ games from the three Florida high schools he attended. The previous UH coaching staff was impressed with the video, offering Farris a scholarship — but not a recruiting visit.
“I asked about it, but they said they didn’t have any money,” said Farris, who accepted the offer. “I said, ‘it’s all good.’ D-I is all good. It was a blind date. It turned out to be fun.”
Soon after arriving in Honolulu in July 2015, he met cornerback Nick Nelson.
“We had 7-on-7s,” Farris said of the player-run practices. “He definitely helped me and guided me. He was a very good cornerback. I idolized his game a little bit.”
After the 2015 season, Nelson transferred to Wisconsin. He was the Oakland Raiders’ fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Abraham Elimimian, who was retained as defensive backs coach when head coach Nick Rolovich was hired in 2016, has served as one of Farris’ mentors. In 2016, Farris was the primary backup to cornerbacks Jalen Rogers and Jamal Mayo. In 2017, Farris emerged as the Warriors’ top cover defender.
Against UMass in 2016, Farris made the decisive pass breakup in the end zone to clinch UH’s victory and a berth in the Hawaii Bowl. In last month’s regular-season finale, Farris was the defender on San Diego State’s failed 2-point conversion pass in overtime.
“The stage isn’t too big for him,” Elimimian said. “I tell people all the time the Roe you see the last two years is not the Roe he was his first year. There was a time when he was struggling mightily. … He worked hard and a lot of people were involved in this process to help him become the person he is now. He has great cover skills.”
Farris has earned him the nickname “Roe Block.”
Despite the great distance from his family in Florida, Farris has remained faithful to his UH commitment.
“I came here to play football and get an education,” Farris said. “It’s a challenge for Florida people to come so far from home. You’ve got to be able, I’d say, to grow up. You’ve got to man up and be able to handle stuff on your own. …
“I love it here. I love my friends. I made a lot of good friendships that will last a lifetime. … I couldn’t have planned this any better, couldn’t have written this any better. God’s got me. I couldn’t be happier.”
