Throughout the course of fall camp, HawaiiAthletics.com will provide a breakdown of the 2022 Rainbow Warrior football team, position-by-position, as the team prepares for its season opener versus Vanderbilt on Saturday, Aug. 27.
The UH secondary will have a distinct new look. Its a position group that lost all of its starters, Including key playmakers safety Khoury Bethley and cornerback Cortez Davis, now of the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.
New safeties coach Josh Brown believes that what his players lack in experience, they easily make up in intelligence and consistency. And a little chip on their shoulder doesn't hurt either.
"We're kinda a band of misfits back there," Brown said. "That's our identity right now. We got guys from the transfer portal, guys that were castaway. We're the underdogs and we like it that way."
The cornerbacks are in a similar scenario. Veteran coach Abe Elimimian has molded a long line of standout defensive backs and is in charge of a fresh crop of DBs.
"We want to be ballhawks," he said. "That's the identity and that's been made clear to them. We gotta stay focused and pay attention to detail. Being focused will make up for the lack of experience. I have no doubt that if they do that, they will make plays."
Returnees
2021 defensive backs lost: Chima Azunna, Khoury Bethley, Colby Burton, Donovan Dalton, Cortez Davis, Eugene Ford, Quentin Frazier, Michael Graham, Kai Kaneshiro, Cameron Lockridge, Solo Turner, Michael Washington
Newcomers
| Secondary |
Ht |
Wt |
Cl |
Hometown (Last School) |
| McKenzie Barnes (S) |
6-2 |
170 |
Sr. |
Fresno, Calif. (Arizona) |
| Malik Hausman (S) |
6-0 |
180 |
Sr. |
Las Vegas, Nev. (Arizona) |
| Billy Mitchell III (CB) |
5-9 |
170 |
Sr. |
Kayenta, Ariz. (Minnesota Morris) |
| Cam Bell (S) |
6-0 |
195 |
Jr. |
Pompano Beach, Fla. (College of the Canyons) |
| Steele Dubar (S) |
5-11 |
195 |
Jr. |
Huntington Beach, Calif. (Colorado) |
| Virdel Edwards II (CB) |
6-2 |
210 |
Jr. |
Plano, Texas (Iowa State) |
| JoJo Forest (CB) |
5-11 |
165 |
Jr. |
Orange, Calif. (Oregon State) |
| Devyn King (CB) |
5-11 |
180 |
Jr. |
Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. (Maryland) |
| Kaulana Makaula (S) |
6-3 |
220 |
Jr. |
Kailua, O'ahu (USC) |
| Meki Pei (S) |
5-11 |
175 |
So. |
Honolulu, O'ahu (Washington) |
| Peter Manuma (S) |
6-0 |
190 |
Fr. |
'Ewa Beach, O'ahu (Campbell HS) |
| Isaiah Malloe (S) |
5-10 |
150 |
Fr. |
Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic HS) |
| Kona Moore (S) |
6-0 |
180 |
Fr. |
Kapolei, O'ahu (Saint Louis HS) |
| Kai Preusser (CB) |
6-0 |
180 |
Fr. |
Honolulu, O'ahu ('Iolani HS) |
Returning Corners: The only returning corner with significant playing time from last season is Hugh Nelson II, The Georgia transfer appeared in 13 games with six starts in 2021. His late-game interception versus Fresno State helped seal UH's upset over the nationally-ranked Bulldogs. "Hugh has been a great leader for this team and a great voice on the back end," Elimimian said. "For him, it's just continuing to do the little things right."
Second-year player Jalen Perdue, who also doubles as a return specialist, has been a playmaker in camp and is vying for playing time at corner. Von Killins appeared in eight games last year and seeks consistency after showing flashes of spectacular play in camp.
Fresh Blood: A trio of Power 5 transfers should make an impact for the Warriors. Virdell Edwards II comes to Manoa from Iowa State, where he played three seasons at safety for Cyclones. Upon his arrival at UH, he has moved to cornerback and brings a physical presence. Elimimian said: "He's 6-2. He's aggressive. He's very competitive, and he has length, reach, and unbelievable quickness. He has the components and tools to be a dominant corner."
Oregon State transfer JoJo Forest may not be as physical as Edwards, but he possesses tremendous versatility and is a fantastic teammate. Elmimian said: "He's a guy that can play boundary and field corner and will be asked to do things in the special teams department as well. He's just a very talented football player."
Meanwhile, Maryland transfer Devyn King was a late addition to the roster, but a welcome one at that. While he didn't get a spring practice under his belt, he's progressed quickly in fall camp, according to Elimimian.
Defend Hawai'i: The last line of defense has a distinct local flavor.
Leonard Lee (Kapolei HS),
Noa Kamana (Punahou),
Meki Pei ('Iolani), and
Matagi Thompson (Punahou) are among those battling it out for the starting safety spots. Lee, who was the defensive standout in the spring game with two picks, has gone from exile, to walk-on, to a potential opening-day starter. After being the leader of the special teams unit the previous three seasons, Kamana is making his move to be the leader of the secondary. Pei returns home after playing two seasons for Washington in the Pac-12. Meanwhile, Thompson, the son of former UH running back Afatia Thompson, is among the most active and athletic players in the secondary.
Nickel (and Dime): A number of players are in the mix at the nickel.
Malik Hausman is one of them after playing at Arizona the last four seasons. "Malik played a bunch of games at Arizona and really has good coverage skills," Brown said.
Ty Marsh played a significant role on special teams as a true freshman last year is one of the most athletic players in the secondary. Meanwhile, first-year Warriors
Peter Manuma has transformed his body by bulking up nearly 30 pounds since spring and is one of the most coachable players on the unit according to Brown.
Look Out For….: JoJo Forest could be a difference maker at corner despite not playing in live competition since 2019. "He'll be game ready," Elimimian said. "The game isn't too big for him. When the lights turn on he won't be surprised by anything, because he's been there." Meanwhile, true freshman
Matagi Thompson could make a similar impact at safety. "He has a lot of upside," Brown said. "If he can stay healthy and continue to progress mentally, he'll be productive for us."
Familiar Face, New Place: Both
Malik Hausman and
JoJo Forest have played in Aloha Stadium …opposite of UH. The Warriors started the 2019 season with wins of over Arizona and Oregon State with both of the players suiting up for those respective teams. Now they're not only suiting up for the Warriors, but are alo front-runners for starting spots.
Brown's In Town: Josh Brown, a 20-year coaching veteran, arrives in Manoa with ties to numerous coaches on the UH staff. Brown spent a season (2019) together with Head Coach
Timmy Chang as assistants at Nevada. He was also the defensive coordinator at Cal Poly with current UH DC
Jacob Yoro and defensive ends coach
Eti Ena then serving as assistants on the Mustang staff.
"We broke a lot of huddles together and there's a lot of familiarity there," Brown said. "Coach Chang is awesome. It was a hard decision to leave UTEP, but I believe it was the right one and we're glad to be here."
The Bridge Coach: Elimimian begins his eight season as an assistant coach. The former all-conference UH cornerback has been a mainstay serving through the last four coaching regimes in Manoa. This year has added significance though as he'll now coach alongside former teammates
Timmy Chang,
Chris Brown and
Keiki Misipeka.
"I take this opportunity with humility," Elimiiman said. "We're not always gonna agree on everything but we're in this together. The best years are when the coaching staff is all bought in together. This place has been great to me and my family. It's allowed me to grow as a person and teach young student athletes not only about the game of football but about the game of life."
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