California WR picks Hawaii
Hawaii is now two for two in landing top prospects from Cerritos (Calif.) Gahr. About 30 minutes ago, three-star receiver Deondre Powel talked with the Hawaii coaches and let them know he would be joining quarterback and teammate Corey Nielsen on the Warrior commitment list.
"I just verbally committed to Hawaii," Powel, who is 5-foot-8 and 160 pounds, said. "That's kind of been my dream school since my freshman year. Corey is like my brother, so of course I wanted to play with him wherever he went.
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"When Corey went out there for 7-on-7 and a visit, he told the Hawaii coaches all about me. He put my name out in front of them. They then told me to start contacting them via e-mail and on the phone. I haven't officially gotten an offer in writing, but that will be coming now that I committed."
Powel said he talked with Hawaii coach Greg McMackin about his commitment.
"I talked to coach Mac, and he said I fit perfectly into their run-and-shoot offense," he said. "He said I'm a perfect fit for their operation. I told him I wanted to commit, and he said 'that's great' and welcomed me to the program. He was real excited."
As a junior Powel had 1,244 yards receiving on 73 receptions. He hauled in 11 touchdowns and was the go-to-guy for Nielson, another three-star prospect.
"This is like a dream come true for both Corey and I," Powel said. "We're going to get to continue our career's together. He's been my quarterback since my freshman year. We have this great relationship. He knows what route I'm going to run even before I run it. It's like we just seem to click together."
Powel said he's fully on track to qualify and should be able to graduate at semester. Along with Hawaii, Powel picked up an offer from Arizona, following the Wildcats' summer camp. He also said Portland State, San Diego State and Idaho were interested in him.
"I'm more of a shifty type guy," Powel said. "I like the slot because most of the time it's a linebacker on me, and not too many linebackers can hang with me because of my speed."