Hawaii star stays home
Vaughn Meatoga of Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha is one of the top players in Hawaii and he had plenty of other options with teams like Washington, Boise State, Colorado, Fresno State and New Mexico State chasing after him.
But in the end, he decided he wanted to stay close to home.
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"I've always wanted to play for UH, and now I'll get that opportunity," Meatoga, who also had offers from UNLV and Hawaii, said.
"I went ahead and committed to Hawaii on Tuesday. I wanted to play at home and stay near my friends and family, so the decision was pretty easy for me in the end."
Ranked as the No. 7 player in Hawaii and the No. 43 defensive tackle in the nation by Rivals.com, Meatoga is a major commitment for the Warriors.
At a combine put on by the Pacific Islands Athletics Alliance in May, he bench-pressed 225 pounds 17 times. He also ran the 40-yards dash in 5.0 seconds and completed the shuttle run in 4.6 seconds.
Even though he's listed as a defensive end, he likely projects at defensive end in Hawaii's 3-4 defensive scheme.
"I fit what they do," he said. "That was another big thing for me. I felt comfortable with the defense and how I will fit in there."