I missed part of the day, but it was a long 6-7 hours of grinding under the sun on an 88-degree day at UH.
The GPA Football College Showcase is double in size compared to last year, but it seems like players are getting their share of reps during skills work. During the 1-on-1s and 7-on-7s, as a fan, I wish I could see more snaps for all the players. But it is logistically impossible with nearly 600 players and a limited time frame. Whether the college coaches are getting a chance to look at every player, hard to say. But they do know who they like best.
The scuttlebutt on Saturday was about Tua Tagovailoa getting a scholarship offer from Oregon. Finally. All the logic in the world pointed to Tagovailoa receiving an offer from the university that offered eventual Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. But it’s safe to say most fans and local coaches expected Oregon to offer long ago, probably should’ve been the first school to offer. But every situation is different, and now Tua has dozens of offers and has already orally committed to national champion Alabama.
The other story whirling around Manoa is that Saint Louis sophomore-to-be Tui Tuitele is drawing interest from several recruiters this weekend, including USC. He is a defensive end, and though he already has two offers, reportedly, from Oregon and Hawaii, it wouldn’t shock me if he had as many as five more after the Showcase, when offers can officially be made.
Challen Faamatau, the versatile, dynamic running back and playmaker from Farrington, still hasn’t received an offer, but part of that may be due to his position academically. He’s on the bubble, but has already passed Algebra II, a prerequisite at just about every major university, with a C, he said. Odds are strong that he will become an NCAA qualifier, and at 5-foot-11 and 204 pounds with the ability to run and catch from the backfield, slot or wideout position, he’s a potentially significant contributor to a FBS program — my humble opinion.
A lot of activity on this final day, including the fun 1-on-1 showcase to close out the event.
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