UH lands a big QB recruit plus their 20 commits on signing day

About choosing UH because of their offense, Alexander said:
"What can I say? It's Hawai'i. I love the offense. That's a big part of why I decided to go there." (HA)

HA Note: "Greg Alexander of Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College sealed a stealth courtship when he signed a national letter of intent yesterday, the first day recruits could put their commitments in writing."

HA Note: "Of the 21 recruits who made their UH commitments official yesterday, Alexander's pledge was the biggest public surprise. Noticing that several schools appeared to chase players the Warriors were recruiting, UH coaches took special care to hide Alexander's name from recruiting services and message boards."

HA Note: "Alexander said he is 6 feet 5 and 240 pounds. He has been timed running 40 yards in 4.65 seconds. Last season, he threw for 3,876 yards — second most among California community college quarterbacks — and 43 touchdowns. Alexander was not UH's original target. The coaches were recruiting a Santa Rosa wide receiver. But while reviewing Santa Rosa videos, the UH coaches were impressed with Alexander's arm strength. They were told that Alexander had received tepid interest, mostly because he had only two years to play two seasons.

Alexander said he received offers from five Division I-AA schools. He met with Bowling Green officials, but did not receive an offer. Then this past Saturday, Alexander received a call from Nick Rolovich, UH's new quarterbacks coach. Rolovich, a former UH quarterback, was an assistant coach at City College of San Francisco in 2006 and 2007. CCSF and Santa Rosa compete in the same conference."

About his talks with Rolo that led to him coming to UH, Alexander said:
"I had good talks with Rolovich on Saturday and again on Sunday." (HA)

HA Note: "Alexander said Santa Rosa ran a four-wide offense that has many similarities to the run-and-shoot attack the Warriors will use. Alexander said he will earn his associate degree in May, then move to Hawai'i."

About how Washington State made him a scholarship offer yesterday, Ryan Henry said that:
"tried to get me over there. I'm committing to Hawai'i. Put that down. I'm a man of my word." (HA)

About choosing UH, Tinoco said:
"I am a Warrior. That's pretty sweet." (HA)

About how he was glad that Mack was hired and kept several assistants, with the coaches assuring him that they would stay with his scholarship offer, Damien senior Christian Vasconcellos said:
"I didn't know if they were going to bring in some new guy and start all over. I was happy (when McMackin was hired). They kept in contact and told me, 'You don't need to worry about it. You're fine.' I was honored to hear that." (HSB)

Looking forward to playing for the Warriors, Vasconcellos said:
"What was going through my head was just wearing that jersey and stepping onto the field." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Even before Hawaii coaches started calling, Greg Alexander had envisioned himself lining up in the shotgun in the Warriors backfield. Hawaii's run-and-shoot system certainly appealed to Alexander, a prolific passer at Santa Rosa (Calif.) Junior College. But it wasn't until the last few days that his path unexpectedly turned toward Manoa. Despite a 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame and some impressive numbers -- including 76 touchdown passes in two seasons -- racked up in a competitive JC conference, Alexander's phone stayed relatively quiet deep into the recruiting season. The Hawaii coaches learned of his situation in the last couple of weeks and a late push led to a commitment as the Warriors added a second quarterback to head coach Greg McMackin's first recruiting class."

After sending his national letter of intent to the Warriors, Alexander said:
"It felt great. I've been on cloud nine for a couple of days." (HSB)

About how his sons didn't see any proof that he played for UH until this past weekend, Ana Tuiasosopo said:
"My sons never knew I played for UH, I didn't have any evidence. I didn't have plaques or any pictures of me at UH. So on Sunday he found (the plaque) in the garage and he goes 'I'm meant to stay home, that's a sign.' " (HSB)

About how he was leaning towards going to the mainland (SDSU and Arizona were interested) after JJ left and it wasn't until late Tuesday night that he decided to stick with UH, Correa said:
"When (Jones) told me he was leaving I was disappointed, that's why I wanted to go away. But I prayed about it and realized I needed to stay home." (HSB)

About signing with the Warriors, Tachibana said:
"I always wanted to play for UH. I'm happy." (HSB)

Paipai said that his uncles:
"gave me input. But in the end, they said it's up to me." (HSB)

About the importance of Mack's visit to the North Shore, Paipai said:
"Mack came here before we went on our trip (to UH). They showed how much they care." (HSB)

About how he ran a similar offense at his JC, Alexander said:
"We ran all four and five wide receivers, it was all shotgun and we threw it about 60 times a game." (HSB)

HSB Note: "Alexander said the lack of offers had him "scratching my head for a while" until he heard from new UH quarterbacks coach Nick Rolovich -- who had seen him play from the opposing sideline as an assistant at City College of San Francisco the last two years -- over the weekend. He sent the coaches a game tape and spoke to McMackin on Monday, when he committed to the program. Santa Rosa coach Keith Simons said the Division I coaches who came around just weren't looking for quarterbacks this year. In fact, UH coaches were inquiring about a Santa Rosa receiver when Alexander's situation came up."

About his advice to Alexander during this process, Santa Rosa coach Keith Simons said:
"I just told him to stay positive and there couldn't have been a better situation for Greg and for Hawaii. If this were a normal year with a lot of people looking for quarterbacks, he would have been gone long ago." (HSB)

HSB Note: "The Warriors may get another quarterback in the fall, as Leilehua graduate Bryant Moniz is planning to try out as a walk-on. Moniz, an All-State pick in 2006, played at Fresno City College and threw for 2,286 yards and 18 touchdowns in his freshman season."

About joining the Warriors as a student manager, former UH LB Chris Brown said:
"It's good to be back around the team. I can do my part helping coach Mel (deLaura, the strength and conditioning coach) in the weight room and helping where I can." (HA)

About how he doesn't miss playing, Brown (one of the Ravens' final cuts in 2003) said:
"Coaching relieves a lot of that need. I think I'm a better coach than player." (HA)