Monday, January 28, 2002
[ COLLEGE FOOTBALL ]
As Feb. 6 draws near, nothing gets a recruiting junkie's pulse jumping like the words "verbal commitment." When 4 years hinge
on a single wordBy Jason Kaneshiro
jkaneshiro@starbulletin.comVerbal commitments are the lifeblood of recruiting season. College coaches scramble to secure commitments from recruits. The players look to reserve their place at the table by announcing a decision. And fans thrive on the speculation surrounding where the state's top prospects are headed.
But none of it really matters until the player puts his name on a letter of intent and sends it off to the university of his choice. So coaches must sweat it out until the first Wednesday in February before they can start making plans for this year's crop of incoming freshmen.
"It's more a gentleman's agreement between the university and the athlete," Hawaii assistant coach Dan Morrison said. "The university promises that there will be a scholarship available to them, and the player commits that they won't venture into any agreements with other universities or go on trips to other universities.
"It usually comes at a point in time when the athlete has made their decision that this is where they want to go. Now that doesn't mean they can't change their mind. I certainly have seen that."
When a student-athlete is ready to make a decision depends largely on what's being offered. For top-shelf recruits being sought by the nation's elite programs, there's often more to consider. Others jump at the opportunity to commit once they get a scholarship offer from a desired college.
"It's like buying a new car," Kahuku coach Siuaki Livai said. "Some people go to the first place and they buy right away because they don't want to lose that good deal, and some people search what they have. Recruiting is just that."
Members of this year's Kahuku senior class appear on both sides of the spectrum. Kalavi Blanchard and Tala Esera ended the speculation in December by committing to Hawaii.
Meanwhile, as of yesterday, Jonathan Mapu, Inoke Funaki, Mulivai Pula and Ferron Fonoimoana continued to weigh their options with less than two weeks left before signing day.
College coaches will often try to get a commitment from a recruit shortly after they complete their campus visit, while the impressions of the weekend are still fresh in the athlete's mind.
But high school coaches warn their players against making a hasty decision based on infatuation, and later renege on their commitment.
"They have to understand it's a commitment for four or five years, not just a weekend," former St. Louis coach Cal Lee said.
"My thing with athletes that are in this situation is your word is your word," Iolani coach Wendell Look said. "That's why they don't make verbal commitments early. I tell them, 'You've got trips to take, take all your trips. If you're going to verbal, don't take the rest of your trips.' "
But all involved realize that teenagers faced with the biggest decision of their lives are often prone to sudden reversals.
"Sometimes an athlete will commit to something based on fear that nothing else will be there," Morrison said. "And all of a sudden late in the game, (an offer) appears and that's where they really want to go, and that sends everybody scurrying."
Announcing a commitment often signals a return to normalcy for the player and his family.
After months of calls from coaches and media, the phones go quiet. Morrison said coaches will continue to keep in contact with the player, but tend to back off after the announcement.
"You want to keep up with them, but at the same time, you don't want to bother the family," Morrison said. "This is time for them to relax. The decision is made, and they can move on."
For those still undecided, the decision making process can prove excruciating as letter of intent day nears.
As a coach at Santa Monica High School in the 1970s, Morrison used a simple exercise to help Dennis Smith, one of the nation's prized recruits, decide between USC and UCLA.
"It often times comes down to their gut," Morrison said. "I usually ask them to get a friend to ask them the question, 'where are you going to go?' and just say, 'I'm going to UCLA.' Then have that person ask you again later on and say, 'I'm going to USC,' and see how it feels when you say that.
"A lot of the institutions have similar opportunities, but there's something going on in there that's more intangible.
"(Smith) did that and he suddenly realized in his heart of hearts he felt much better saying, 'I'm going to USC.' And he really started to analyze it and it was that doggone horse coming out of the tunnel. It was that close."
Smith went on to star with the Trojans and played 14 years in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.
Despite the stress and anxiety the decision process can place on a high school senior, coaches are quick to remind them of the big picture and the unique position they hold.
"It's a lot to think about," Lee said. "But a lot of people would love to have an opportunity to make that tough decision."
The Star-Bulletin's top 10 college football prospects from Hawaii high schools are ranked by Jason Kaneshiro and Dave Reardon, after consultation with high school and college coaches. Other prospects are listed in alphabetical order. The list will be updated weekly until Feb. 6, national letter of intent day, when high school players can first make their commitments binding. Asterisks indicate verbal commitments. Players listed as Ath are being recruited as all-around athletes. HAWAII'S TOP PROSPECTS
Player School Pos. Ht. Wt. Probable colleges 1. Jonathan Mapu Kahuku DE 6-3 250 Wash., Tenn., BYU, Hawaii 2. Brandon Ala Kamehameha DE 6-3 210 Washington* 3. Mulivai Pula Kahuku RB 5-11 215 Utah, BYU, Hawaii 4. Enoka Lucas Kamehameha OL 6-3 285 Oregon* 5. Samson Satele Kailua OL 6-4 290 Hawaii* 6. Donny Mateaki Iolani DE 6-7 250 Washington* 7. Abu Ma'afala Kamehameha DL 6-2 270 Hawaii* 8. Inoke Funaki Kahuku Ath 6-0 180 Hawaii, BYU 9. Kaipo Patoc Mililani DE/LB 6-2 230 Hawaii* 10. Kalavi Blanchard Kahuku OL 6-4 290 Hawaii* Other prospects FROM HAWAII Jason Ching Punahou WR/DB 5-10 165 Brown, San Diego, Hawaii Ross Dickerson St. Louis SB 5-11 175 Hawaii* Tala Esera Kahuku DL 6-3 245 Hawaii* Ferron Fonoimoana Kahuku WR 5-8 165 BYU, Hawaii Taualai Fonoti St. Louis LB 6-1 240 Stanford* Marques Kaonohi Kailua OL 6-2 250 Hawaii* Kahai LaCount Kailua OL 6-3 300 Hawaii* Todd LaFountaine Punahou QB 6-0 185 Harvard* Taleki Mailau Kailua Ath 5-10 190 Hawaii, Idaho St., West. Mont., Dixie Levi Manutai Kailua DL 6-2 264 Idaho St., Dixie, West. Mont. Felipo Mokofisi Kailua DL 6-2 220 Dixie Mesepa Reed St. Louis OL 6-5 237 Hawaii* Kekoa Reyes Waianae QB/DB 6-1 200 Dixie John Siofele St. Louis DL 6-0 255 Hawaii* Larry So'oalo Kailua TE 6-6 245 Idaho St., Dixie, Western Montana Tuika Tufaga Kahuku DL 6-1 220 Utah Dane Uperesa Punahou OL 6-5 315 Hawaii* Other University of Hawaii commitments
Player School Pos. Ht. Wt. Note Marco Chavez Palomar JC (Calif.) LB 6-3 245 Enrolled at UH Jeremiah Cockheran Chaffey JC (Calif.) WR 6-2 180 Reportedly timed at 4.27 in 40 Matt Faga Fresno CC (Calif.) DT 6-2 320 Former Kaimuki player Chad Kalilimoku Santa Ana JC (Calif.) LB 6-0 235 All-American JC from Roosevelt Kenny Patton St. Francis (Calif.) CB 6-0 175 Former Punahou player Ryan Stickler Alta Loma (Calif.) QB 6-3 215 18 TDs, 5 INTs Darrell Tautofi Dixie College (Utah) DL 6-4 270 Former Kaimuki player John West Yuba JC (Calif.) Ath 5-10 180 All-American JC from Leilehua Jason Whieldon Saddleback JC (Calif.) QB 6-1 190 Enrolled at UH Notes: ATH Inoke Funaki said he has a full-ride offer from Hawaii, but not from BYU. Wherever he enrolls, Funaki said he plans to take a two-year Mormon mission before starting college. Funaki has two sisters who live in Provo, Utah. One of them, Lupe Piena, works at the BYU campus. "But her husband, Keola, is a big UH fan. He wants me to choose UH," Funaki said with a laugh. "My other sister's husband is the biggest BYU fan, so he wants me to go there." ... An Internet recruiting service reported that RB Mulivai Pula was leaning toward Brigham Young, but that was before his Hawaii visit. ... Pula may have difficulty qualifying academically. But several four-year schools, including UH and BYU, may be willing to enroll the talented speedster as a Prop. 48. ... CB A.J. Martinez of Huntington Beach (Calif.) Edison and teammate WR/FS Denny Flanagan were among the mainland recruits who visited over the weekend. Martinez is an all-stater, and Flanagan had a monster game against Long Beach Poly, with 18 tackles and 11 receptions for around 150 yards. Martinez has it down to Hawaii and San Diego State, while Flanagan is weighing offers from UH, Nevada and SDSU.
--Dave Reardon, Star-Bulletin