Michigan offer amazes Malepeai

Earlier this week, Vavae Malepeai had just finished a training session when he received a text message from his mother alerting him that she had some surprising news for him.

Michigan had extended a scholarship offer, becoming the ninth school to do so.

"It was awesome," Malepeai said. "That's a blessing right there. I was shocked. That's Michigan and Jim Harbaugh is there, and everyone is saying he's going to turn that program around just like he did at Stanford."

The three-star running back from Mililani (Hawaii) is featured in a spread offense, but he said he's thrilled that a coach who is known for a physical running style has pegged him as a target.

"Anywhere that gets the ball is where I'd want to go," Malepeai said. "Whether that's spread or a physical brand, I'm open to anything. It's awesome that I have those options."

California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Utah State, Vanderbilt, Washington and Washington State are the eight other schools that are on Malepeai's offer sheet. He said he doesn't know when he'll be able to visit the Wolverines, but that a trip to Ann Arbor is something he'd like to do in an official capacity, maybe during the upcoming season.

Oregon and Stanford have yet to offer, but are showing significant interest in the 6-foot, 200-pound prospect. The Ducks and Cardinal are in the process of examining his transcripts, he said.

Malepeai is scheduled to compete at the Gridiron Performance Academy "Maximum Exposure" camp on the Hawaii campus in June. Various college programs are expected to be in attendance, he said.

"I'm wide open to everyone," Malepeai said. "I haven't taken any visits yet and want to see what's out there for me. I'm definitely interested to see what the atmosphere is like on the campuses. I'll be there for a few years so that's very important. Also, it's about how bad the coaches really want me. The education, of course, is big and I'm also looking at how each program fits me and if it works out for my family."

Malepeai had 1,337 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns as a junior last fall, guiding Mililani to a state championship crown.