Lolotai down to two

A linebacker we loved on film and feel is one of the top 10 backers in the west region this year is Honolulu (Hawaii) Kamehameha's Mana Lolotai. Lolotai took his second official visit of the year this past weekend to Washington and could be making his college choice later in the week.

Lolotai, 6-0, 220 pounds is a big hitter with good speed and a nose for the ball. He was one of the standouts at the SoCal Nike camp where he clocked a 4.79 in the 40, jumped 27 inches in the vertical and did 23 reps on the bench. On film, the 'backer just blows people up and is as sure a tackler as any player at his position in the region.

Lolotai took an official visit to Oregon State back on (Nov. 18) and then visited the Huskies this past weekend.

"Those are my final two and I would like to decide by the weekend," Lolotai said. "The two are pretty equal right now and I loved both of my visits. Washington was really nice. Just like at Oregon State, they have a lot of Polynesian players on the team so there was a nice comfort level for me right away.

"Daniel Te'o Nesheim was my host and I already knew him a little and Brandon Ala went to Kamehameha so it was cool to see him. Both of those guys really like it at Washington and said a lot of great things about the school. I actually flew in on Thursday so I didn't spend as much time with the other recruits since I left a day earlier. There was a good group of guys there and I enjoyed hanging out with everyone I met.

"Coach Willingham is a great man. He was very impressive and you can tell he's the guy to turn the program around. I met with my position coach and the defensive coordinator as well to get an idea of how I would fit in with their defense and what my role would be. Like I said, it was a good trip and I know I would fit in well at Washington.

"It's going to be a tough decision. I like both schools a lot right now and feel a connection to both. My old high school coach, Kanani Souza, is at Oregon State as a grad assistant and coming off this trip to Washington, I felt a family atmosphere there as well. I was going to visit Utah but I'm done taking visits and hopefully by the weekend, I'll know where to go."