When Hawaii welcomes its new football players Monday, the group will be short by at least two because of academic questions. 3 Warrior recruits
face hurdlesAcademics sideline Tautofi and
Purcell, while Martinez is still
clearing up concernsBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comDixie College transfer defensive lineman Darrell Tautofi has not qualified academically. Tautofi said he did not complete his associate's degree work, a requirement for athletes who do not qualify for Division I out of high school.
He said he plans to go to Hawaii Pacific for the year to make up credits. "I'm not really sure how much I have to do, but that's what we're looking at now," Tautofi said.
The 6-foot-4, 270-pound Kaimuki High School graduate was expected to help bolster UH's defensive front at either tackle or end this fall.
Incoming freshmen Mel Purcell (defensive end) and A.J. Martinez (defensive back) also face academic hurdles, according to several sources.
Purcell, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound athlete from American Samoa, is a partial qualifier. That means he cannot play in games this year, but he will be allowed to report with the other new players, accept a scholarship, and practice. If he graduates in four years, he will regain the lost year of eligibility.
Martinez, the Orange County Register's Back of the Year, is trying to straighten out a glitch in his academic record at Edison High School in Huntington Beach, Calif. The 6-foot, 185-pound Martinez qualifies in all other areas, and UH is putting together a case for an NCAA waiver and might receive an answer in 10 days to two weeks.
UH coaches and other athletic department officials are prohibited by law from discussing specific academic situations involving student-athletes.
But compliance coordinator Daniel Arakaki said Martinez' case involves a situation where a waiver is appropriate.
"If an incoming freshman is not cleared by the NCAA Clearinghouse, there are provisions for an institution to submit a waiver on behalf of the student-athlete," Arakaki said. "There are certain thresholds that have to be met to even apply for a waiver."
In other UH football news:
>> Sophomore kicker Justin Ayat was named to the list of 30 preliminary candidates for the 2002 Lou Groza Award, which goes to the nation's top kicker.
Ayat was named a first-team freshman All-American by Football News last year after making 19 of 29 field goal attempts and converting 54 of 57 point-after tries.
... In 1974, backup quarterback June Jones (right) mostly watched while Hawaii went 6-5 under new coach Larry Price, who installed the conservative "Hula T" offense.
Jones would transfer to Portland State and go on to play in the NFL and CFL for five seasons. He came back to Manoa as quarterbacks coach in 1983, starting a coaching career that would take him to Houston, Denver, Ottawa, Detroit, Atlanta and San Diego before he returned as UH's head coach in 1999. Today, Jones prepares for his fourth season with a 21-16 record.
UH Athletics
