Photo: Lukas Young
There’s a reason college coaches like to evaluate up close.
Cameron Friel knew this. The Kailua junior hit the road in the offseason, before most of the nation went into a COVID-19 lockdown. On Saturday, Nevada became the latest school to offer Friel a football scholarship. That makes it three, including Navy and San Diego State.
The consistent direct messages, texts and snail-mail letters indicate a possibility of many more offers in the coming weeks and months for the 6-foot-4, 205-pound quarterback.
“Tim Chang, he coaches the tight ends but he’s the recruiter for the islands. I actually met him last year, my sophomore year, when I first got to Kailua. He came to visit the school and he really liked me so he took a picture, an eye test,” Friel said.
Chang broke numerous passing records at Saint Louis, then Hawaii before becoming a college coach. Friel’s footwork and quick release make him a commodity as defenses get faster and quicker. Friel, like Chang, is a standout student. He has a 3.7 grade-point average.
“I took my SAT and my ACT, so I’m waiting for my scores,” Friel said. “I’ve just been working out. School is a big part of my life, so I just want to stay on top of school work and get my grades right. I have a 3.7. It’s always math that I have a B in.”
Friel began high school at Saint Louis, then transferred to Kailua before junior season — last year. He passed for 1,694 yards and 19 touchdowns in 11 games, completing 49 percent of his passes with 15 interceptions. Friel rushed for a modest 174 yards (2.1 per attempt) and two TDs as Kailua went 4-7. That’s where the eye test and Friel’s work ethic make a difference. His elusiveness and willingness to get the ball out quickly kept Kailua competitive.
“Once football season finished I went out for basketball. I was in basketball until late January. So ever since then I’ve been working out with my quarterback coach, Kelii Tilton,” he said.
This is what his itinerary looked like after football season ended.
October
Prior to the OIA playoffs, Navy became the first program to offer a scholarship. Three days later, Kailua lost to eventual OIA champion Moanalua, 21-14, in the playoffs.
“Coach Billy Ray Stutzmann. That was back in October. He told me that they were going to switch things up if I went over there. They want to be more of an Air Raid team, spread the field out, attack more, a passing game,” Friel said.
December
Friel competed in the Iron Sharpens Iron event.
“That was with Coach Asai Gilman at Farrington. It was a bunch of reps. It was good, too, because national analysts came down from 247 Sports and Rivals. That’s kind of how they saw me. So it was good exposure,” Friel said.
247Sports.com ranked Friel No. 83 nationally with a three-star rating.
January
Friel played in the JPS Paradise Classic at Aloha Stadium.
February
San Diego State stepped to the plate and offered. The dots connected through the JPS Paradise Classic and former Moanalua coach Savaii Eselu.
“That was kind of surprising. Coach Savaii got over there from Moanalua. He was actually my coach for the Paradise Classic. He joked around about me going to Moanalua. I guess once he got over there, he still liked me,” Friel said.
Eselu was hired by SDSU on Jan. 31.
“I got a text from him saying, I’ll introduce you to the quarterbacks coach in our staff meeting. Later on that day, the QB coach starting messaging me on Twitter and we started talking,” Friel said.
A week later, Friel and Coach Eselu were chatting again.
“We talked on and off about how he’s doing up there, his whole situation, how it happened so fast. He wanted to give me a call. I thought it was just checking on me and asking about my family, then he told me he has an offer,” Friel said.
March
Friel went to the Rivals Camp at Cal State Los Angeles before the lockdown began.
“It was good exposure. Getting to see myself alongside some of the top quarterbacks in my class and seeing the differences. Just getting to compete with them, it made me realize how bad I want to be at the top of my class, especially at my position because there’s so many quarterbacks up there,” he said.
April
Nevada made its offer. The Wolfpack weren’t alone, though.
“There was also a UCLA coach the same day. They just sat us down and talked,” Friel said. “I remember sometime I think it was the beginning of the year, Chip Kelly came down to see me throw. We still talk to this day, just texting.”
Along the way, Friel has tweeted photos of letters from coaches across the country. He has quite a collection.
“It’s definitely something to be proud of, you know, especially when I got the letters from Cal and everyone. It gives me motivation to know I’m getting all this attention from big schools, knowing how much more I have to push myself. It’s making me stay on top of everything, stay focused so I can get to where I want to be and be successful,” he said.
Friel is not ruling out the possibility of an Ivy League landing.
“I can’t really say too much about that because everything’s still up in the air. I’m still staying in touch with a lot of coaches from the Pac-12, ACC, even the Ivy League schools. i’m just trying to stay patient and build a strong relationship with those coaches,” he said.
Friel leans on family and his head coach, Joseph Hauoli Wong, for sound advice.
”Coach Hau tells me a lot of stuff. Different trips, how to build a conversation, the things I have to look into, not only for football, but for schooling. My parents (William and Joey) always tell me, ‘Whatever place makes you happy and makes you want to be the best, then we’re happy for you. We’re all for it.’ “
Staying in shape is a challenge. Friel makes it work.
“I have weights in my garage, but there’s not a lot, so it’s just things with body weight. Pushups, sit-ups, sprints up and down. I’ve got a steep hill and a decent yard in the back. Workouts with my little brother (Colin, sixth grade). He’s kind of a shadow. He wants to be a quarterback, too. He comes out with Coach Kelii and puts his work in,” he said.
Friel is also meeting with his school team’s quarterbacks coach.
“Since Monday, we’ve been going to his place in Waimanalo and throwing routes and stuff. It’s new,” Friel said. “Before we get out there, coach asks who’s sick, and they stay home.”
Life in the pandemic is largely different.
“You’re so used to seeing everybody outside. It’s kind of strange. We have online schooling. Teachers are just sending assignments through Google Classroom,” Friel said. “I don’t think we have any show-face class on line with Zoom. It’s probably about the same (amount of school work).”
The interaction is something Friel used to thrive on.
“I miss getting the extra help from teachers. Technically, fourth quarter just started, so everything has been straight-up stuff. Signing into a class, watch this video, take notes, but nothing too complex,” he said.
In the meantime, it is life 24/7 with family. What mom says goes. He has not disobeyed her in a long time.
“Maybe when I was a little kid,” Friel said. “I listen to her more than my dad. He does all the dirty work like helping with the cars. My mom is everything around the house.”
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