Fred Ulu-Perry had a memorable weekend.
First, he attended the Nike Football SPARQ Combine at Cerritos, Calif.
Then the Saint Louis left tackle took part in the SoCal Nike Camp in Redondo, earning offensive line MVP honors.
“There were a lot of great offensive linemen there,” said Ulu-Perry, a three-sport athlete. “I had that mindset. My connection with God and my family helped me.”
After pass-protection work for about an hour, the linemen engaged in 1-on-1 drills. Then came the awards.
“Once I heard the words Saint Louis, Honolulu, Hawaii, it was pretty cool blessing. I was relieved, but not satisfied,” the 6-2 1/2, 310-pound junior said.
His teammates, wide receiver Drew Kobayashi and defensive back Siake Alualu, also participated in the events. Kobayashi, a 6-2, 185-pound sophomore, posted the fourth-best rating at the SPARQ Combine out of a group of 1,400 athletes.
“I had a good trainer, David Kamalani, who trained me and worked with me on my running technique,” said Kobayashi, who has a 3.2 grade-point average. “After this experience, it helped me realize where I’m at and makes me want to work harder. There’s a lot more work I can do in everything.”
Hawaii and Washington State had early scholarship offers to Ulu-Perry, but since football season ended, Colorado, Kansas, Nevada, San Jose State and Texas Tech have made offers, too.
“Coaches came down after the season to talk with our seniors and they talked with me.
Growing up, Hawaii was my favorite team. but now I like USC. They’re building up a little bit,” the Star-Advertiser All-State selection said. “But I wouldn’t mind seeing myself at any of the seven schools.”
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