HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii football program added seven prospects during the regular signing period, Wednesday, extending the total for the Class of 2020 to 17. Among the seven signees include four junior college transfers and three prep standouts while wide receivers and defensive backs accounted for six of the seven.
“First of all, our staff of Abe (Elimimian), Jacob (Yoro), and recruiting coordinator Josh (Omura) did an unbelievable job with the transition and bridging everything together,” head coach Todd Graham said in a press release. “We had immediate needs, and we felt like we met those needs. We also wanted to make sure we signed quality and not quaintly. On top of it all, I’m extremely excited about who we signed locally both today and our class as a whole.”
The need for speed was evident in this year’s group. Ten of the 17 signees are either receivers (six) or defensive backs (four). The remaining include five linemen – three on defense and two on offense – one running back and one placekicker. Five of the signees are homegrown talent from the state of Hawaii while three signees each lists hometowns in California and Texas, respectively.
Among Wednesday’s signees, the Rainbow Warriors inked two receivers from Texas high schools – Quinshone “Quin” Bright and Riley Wilson. Bright received more than 20 FBS offers, including many from Power 5 schools, out of Cedar Hill High School while Prestonwood Christian Academy’s Wilson received high praise, earning MVP honors at the prestigious The Opening Dallas.
UH’s secondary will get a huge boost from Wednesday’s signees. Cornerback Cameron Lockridge of Tampa, Fla., tallied four interceptions in his lone season at Reedley College in California. Cornerback Jalen Perdue spent two all-conference seasons at Antelope Valley College, where he recorded 21 pass breakups and three interceptions. Safety Logan Taylor is a hard-hitting defender from El Camino College, who initially played at Southern Utah as a freshman.
Sure-handed receiver Zion Bowens was a big play threat at Long Beach City College for two seasons, where he also returned kicks and punts. Offensive lineman Sergio Muasau earned first-team all-state honors as a senior from Mililani High School on O’ahu and joins his brother Darius in donning the green and white.
“We’re a lot better off than I thought we would be,” Graham said. “We went out and added some guys in the last few weeks I knew very well, and our staff knew well. When you take a job with two weeks left in recruiting, it’s a big challenge. But we went into those living rooms and projected who we are as people, showing them we’re genuine and honest. We did it the right way, and I feel pretty fortunate about what we accomplished.”
