HONOLULU – University of Hawai'i head football coach Greg McMackin announced the Warriors' 2009 recruiting class Wednesday at a press conference at the Diamond Head Hospitality Room in the Stan Sheriff Center. McMackin and his coaching staff secured commitments from 29 junior college and high school standouts for the upcoming season.
“We're excited about our class this year, we've got a large class,” McMackin said. “The coaches again worked very hard for a year recruiting these guys. You really don't know how guys play for you until they get on the field between the white lines. So, I don't ever go out and say this is the greatest class, or this is going to be the greatest class ever. I know it's a quality class, guys want to go to school and get their degrees. I've been in every home of the players we've recruited and met their parents, great families and good people.”
Of the 29 signees, 14 are offensive players and 15 are on the defensive side of the ball. A total of 20 are from high schools and nine are from the junior college ranks. Eleven of the 20 high school signees are from Hawai'i high schools and all were selected to the all-state teams, including safeties Kamalani Alo and Aulola Tonga from perennial state powerhouse Kahuku High School.
“The other thing that we did, as always, is we used Hawai'i as our base,” McMackin said. “We had 12 players from the state of Hawai'i and from Samoa, so we want to keep our good Hawaiian players home, and we've done that the last couple of years.”
With the loss of six players including all four starters, the defensive secondary was one of the staff's biggest needs and they filled those holes with eight signees. The Warriors also lost eight part-time or full-time starters between the defensive line and linebacker positions and signed seven to replace them.
On offense, the Warriors lost three starters on the offensive line and two receivers. Among the 14 offensive signees, four are wide receivers and four are offensive lineman. In addition, UH signed three freshman quarterbacks – David Graves, a highly recruited signal caller from Folsom, Calif., Corey Nielsen, one of California's leading passers out of Gahr High School, and Cayman Shutter, who led Punahou School to its first state high school football championship.
“This year we brought in some junior college players for immediate needs and then we tried to stay with as many freshman players as we could so they can go through the program,” McMackin said. “Another important thing is that we've got guys in every position. We lost nine starters a year ago on offense and we lost nine starters on defense. We want to keep things so that it's pretty much a normal class every year. So, we're working towards that, we're going to need a couple more recruiting classes, to get that settled down.”
UH won recruiting battles with numerous Bowl Championship Subdivision programs. Silverado High School's T.J. Alofipo turned down offers from nearly every Pac-10 school in addition to Colorado, BYU, Boise State and Fresno State. Kapolei High's Chad Lopati spurred offers from Colorado, California, and Oregon State, while Douglass (Okla.) High's Destin Stewart picked UH over Missouri and Tulsa.
Six student-athletes are already enrolled as mid-year transfers, which includes Saint Louis School's Billy Ray Stutzmann, brother of current UH graduate assistant and former Warrior Craig Stutzmann.
2009 Signing Class
Name Pos Ht Wt Cl Last School
T.J. Alofipo LB 6-4 240 Fr Silverado [NV] HS
Kalani Brackenridge DB 5-11 165 Fr Kapolei HS
Melvin Hopkins* DB 5-9 160 Jr Navarro [TX] CC
Joey Iosefa S 6-1 190 Fr Fagaitua HS (American Samoa)
John Lister RB 6-1 205 Fr Thousand Oaks [CA] HS
Jordan Loeffler OL 6-5 280 Fr Hilo HS
Chad Lopati LB 6-2 250 Fr Kapolei HS
Benson Ma'afala OL 6-3 305 Fr Damien Memorial School
Marcus Malepeai DT 6-2 245 Fr Radford HS
Veni Manu DE 6-4 230 Fr Mililani HS
Zachary Masch DT 6-2 285 Jr Arizona Western CC
Deondre Powell WR 5-8 160 Fr Gahr [CA] HS
Chauncy Winchester Makainai OL 6-4 325 Fr Kailua HS
* denotes already enrolled in school
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest…ranked 82nd nationally at his position…multi-sport athlete at Kahuku, where he also played soccer and participated in track and field (100m, 110-hurdles, 4x100 relay, shot put and discus)…named to The Honolulu Advertiser Division I all-state first team and Honolulu Star-Bulletin all-state honorable mention….played in the H.U.B. Senior Bowl Goodwill Classic.
T.J. Alofipo (LB, 6-2, 240, Fr, Silverado [NV] HS)
Ranked 50th nationally at his position…rated as the state of Nevada's No. 1 linebacker and fourth-best overall player…named to all-state and all-region teams in football and basketball…had 66 tackles and 11.5 sacks as a junior in 2007…heavily recruited by Colorado, Oregon, Oregon State, BYU, Arizona, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin, Fresno State, Boise State, and Utah.
Kalani Brackenridge (DB, 5-11, 165, Fr, Kapolei HS)
Played cornerback for Kapolei…a two-sport athlete who also played on the Kapolei baseball team…brother Tyron plays for the New York Jets…named to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin all-state honorable mention…also recruited by Washington State, Idaho, and Wyoming.
Played receiver at Navarro and caught 29 passes for 555 yards, an average of 19.3 yards per catch in 2008 in a run-oriented offense…picked UH over Arizona and Houston.
Ranked one of the best junior college players in the country…named to first-team all-Mission Conference…as a sophomore had a team-high four interceptions and 59 tackles, including 15 for loss and six sacks…broke up six passes and forced two fumbles…had 65 tackles as a freshman, including seven for loss…also forced three fumbles, had three fumble recoveries, and an interception with a 60-yard return…also recruited by Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, and Washington State.
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest…anchored defensive unit on a team that advanced to the Division I state championship game…named the C.I.F. Southern Section Pac-5 Division co-Defensive Player of the Year…also recruited by Arizona and Colorado State.
Team captured the national championship after a perfect 12-0 record…had 21 tackles, one interception, and 10 pass breakups in 2008…ranked seventh in the conference in pass breakups…runs a 4.45 40-yard dash…also recruited by Oregon, Oregon State, and Arizona.
Led the team in rushing with 546 yards…averaged 6.0 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns…attended the College of San Mateo as a freshman in 2006…also recruited by California, Colorado State, and Marshall.
Named Sacramento's Metro Player of the Year…in 11 games, threw for 2,771 yards, completing 72 percent of his passes and 40 touchdowns…rushed for 696 yards and 11 touchdowns…competed 18-of-22 passes for 397 yards and five touchdowns against Jesuit…passed for 314 yards and five scores and rushed 111 yards and one TD against Oak Ridge…played wide receiver during his junior season and had 32 receptions for 420 yards while also rushing for 315 yards and four TDs…picked UH over Nevada, Kansas State, and Utah.
Team captured the national championship after a perfect 12-0 record…led the team in rushing with 1,037 yards and 14 touchdowns during the regular season…also scored two receiving touchdowns…rushed for 119 yards on 27 carries in national championship game against Mt. San Antonio…named to the all-conference first team…also recruited by Arizona, Washington, and Washington State.
In 10 games as a sophomore, amassed 28 tackles, including 3.5 for loss and two sacks…also had three pass breakups and recovered one fumble….picked UH over Utah, Arizona, Washington, and Washington State.
Melvin Hopkins (DB, 5-9, 160, Navarro [TX] CC)
In 11 games during sophomore season, tallied 53 tackles, including 40 solo tackles…has excellent speed and explosiveness…runs a 4.45 40-yard dash and has a 38-inch vertical…picked UH over Arizona and Houston.
Joey Iosefa (S, 6-1, 190, Fr, Fagaitua HS [American Samoa])
Considered one of the best recruits from American Samoa…played quarterback, free safety and linebacker during his senior season…named the offensive player of the year and led Fagaitua to the national championship in 2007…participated in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl.
Named to the all-Southern Conference second team as a sophomore…team averaged 482.5 yards of total offense and 39.8 points per game…also recruited by California, Miami (Ohio), and Marshall.
John Lister (RB, 6-1, 205, Fr, Thousand Oaks [CA] HS)
Named the Marmonte League's Most Valuable Player and the All-Ventura County Offensive Player of the Year… rushed for 2,238 yards and 27 touchdowns in 2008…also recruited by Nevada, Utah, and UNLV.
Jordan Loeffler (OL, 6-5, 280, Fr, Hilo HS)
Named Division I all-state honorable mention by The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin…qualified for the state track and field championships in the shot put…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…also recruited by Washington and Washington State.
Chad Lopati (LB, 6-2, 250, Fr, Kapolei HS)
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest …rated the seventh best recruit out of the state of Hawai'i…named to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin all-state second team and The Honolulu Advertiser all-state honorable mention… recorded 98 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks as a senior and 90 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks as a junior…finished his career as Kapolei's all-time leader in sacks…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…heavily recruited by Oregon State, Colorado, California, and Washington.
Benson Ma'afala (OL, 6-3, 305, Fr, Damien Memorial School)
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest …named to The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin Division I all-state second team…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…picked UH over Colorado and Washington.
Marcus Malepeai (DT, 6-2, 245, Fr, Radford HS)
Named to The Honolulu Advertiser Division II all-state first team and Honolulu Star-Bulletin all-state second team as a senior…anchored defensive line on team that finished state runner-up in the Division II championship…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…also recruited by Washington.
Veni Manu (DE, 6-4, 230, Fr, Mililani HS)
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest…named to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin all-state honorable mention…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl….also recruited by Colorado and Utah.
Zachary Masch (DT, 6-2, 285, Jr, Arizona Western CC)
Played two seasons for Arizona Western…in 10 games played in 2008, amassed 44 tackles, including 5.5 for loss and four sacks…as a junior had 33 tackles, including 4 for a loss…a graduate of Nevada Union High School, where he earned first team all-metro and first team all-San Joaquin Delta Region honors…helped lead NUHS to a Division I Section Championship and represented his school at the Blitz 3 All-Star Game…picked UH over UCLA, San Jose State, Nevada, and Idaho.
One of 50 players selected as National Old Spice Red Zone Players of the Year…ranked 60th nationally at his position…during senior season, threw for 3,032 yards and 30 touchdowns…threw for four or more touchdowns in five games…as a junior, led the state and ranked third in the nation in passing after throwing for 4,363 yards and 35 touchdown passes...completed 65 percent of his passes and had only five interceptions…threw for over 400 yards in five games, including a 453-yard, six-touchdown performance...named San Gabriel Valley League MVP and led Gahr to a 10-3 record and the CIF-SS Western Division semifinals….over his career, threw for 8,236 yards and 73 touchdowns which ranks 13th all-time in the state of California…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…picked UH over Arizona, UNLV, Idaho, Utah State, Harvard, and Yale.
Deondre Powell (WR, 5-8, 160, Fr, Gahr [CA] HS)
As a senior, caught 54 passes for 736 yards and eight touchdowns following his junior season in which he had 73 receptions for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns and was named to the all-C.I.F. Western Division first team…also recruited by Arizona, UNLV, and Idaho.
Ranked one of the top 100 players in the Northwest… passed for 2,403 yards and 28 touchdowns as a senior…named to The Honolulu Advertiser Division I all-state first team and Honolulu Star-Bulletin all-state second team…led Punahou School to the school's first state football championship…threw for 400 yards and two scores and rushed for another in the championship game against Leilehua…led state in passer rating (186.1) and completion percentage (65%) as a junior in 2007…threw for 21 touchdowns in only 133 pass attempts…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…picked UH over New Mexico.
Named one of the top 35 players in the state of Oklahoma… named to the Oklahoma Coaches Association's 2008 all-state team as a receiver, despite playing in a run-oriented offense…also named first team all-state by the Tulsa World…also named all-city first team defense…had 76 tackles and five interceptions on defense and 26 catches for 521 yards and nine touchdowns as a receiver…also played defensive back with more than 50 tackles and three interceptions…named to the Daily Oklahoman's all-state second team as a punter…runs a 4.5 40-yard dash…member of the Douglass High School basketball team…picked UH over Missouri and Tulsa.
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest…ranked the sixth best recruit from the state of Hawai'i…named to The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin Division I all-state first team…earned second team all-state honors from the Honolulu Star Bulletin and honorable mention all-state from The Honolulu Advertiser as a junior…finished his career with 115 receptions for 1,686 yards and 18 touchdowns…won the state title in the 100-meters and 200-meters in track…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…also recruited by Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State.
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest…selected to The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin Division I all-state first team as a senior…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl.
One of the state of Nevada's top recruits….named to all-state teams during his junior and senior seasons…played both wide receiver and safety…as a junior, had eight kickoff or punt returns for touchdowns while leading Silverado to the Southeast Division title…also recruited by Arizona, Stanford, BYU, and Colorado State.
Chauncy Winchester Makainai (OL, 6-4, 325, Fr, Kailua HS)
Named one of the top 100 players in the Northwest…named to The Honolulu Advertiser and Honolulu Star-Bulletin Division I all-state first team…played in the Hawai'i/Polynesia-Mainland Bowl…also recruited by California, Oregon, Arizona, and Washington.
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