From back left (clockwise): Monte Meyer (dad), Kaapu (sister), Kuao, I‘imi (sister), Kui (mom), Kahea, Lulu (sisters), Te Kaha (brother).
Kamehameha junior Kuao Peihopa is part of the purple Polynesian posse now.
The 6-foot-3, 290-pound offensive lineman committed to Washington on Tuesday. The news came out on Wednesday via Twitter with an eye-popping graphic produced by the Huskies. At UW, Peihopa is projected to play defensive line under position coach Ikaika Malloe, a Kamehameha alum. Malloe, who is also co-defensive coordinator, has been scintillating as a recruiter. Last year, he landed Star-Advertiser All-State defensive player of the year Faatui Tuitele of Saint Louis.
Peihopa has 13 scholarship offers, including seven from the Pac-12 Conference: Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon State, UCLA, San Diego State, Washington, Washington State, Wisconsin.
“They’re the first school to take a look at me,” Peihopa said of Washington. “My freshman year they came up to see me. We had workouts and I had a basketball game. Coach Malloe and Coach Pete (Kwiatkowski). I was kind of starstruck, like, ‘What the heck?’ Coach Malloe is like an uncle who cares about you, pushes you to be the best you can be. He could coach in the NFL, and he could be a head coach if he wanted to. He’s great at connecting with people.”
Wisconsin and Arizona State were also on his radar.
“Wisconsin is definitely a place I saw myself playing. Nebraska, too, and Arizona State. I liked the idea of being coached by Kevin Mawae,” Peihopa said of the former New York Jets offensive lineman now coaching under Herm Edwards at ASU. “He was recruiting me to play center there. To be coached by a Hall-of-Famer would’ve been a great opportunity.”
The love for Seattle and the Huskies program, however, was ingrained during a visit last fall.
“For me, it was the best fit. We went up there in November to see the Apple Cup. We stepped foot in the city, it just felt right. Getting on campus, seeing everything, the academics is top notch. Their attention to detail, doing it at the highest level, took it over the top for me,” said Peihopa, who has a 3.3 grade-point average. “The personal development, becoming the best person you can be, which I appreciate. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a beautiful city and a lot of Hawaii boys and it feels close to home. The culture of the program feels like a Polynesian program.”
Peihopa was on the phone with the Huskies on Tuesday with his parents listening in.
“My mom (Kui) and dad (Monte Meyer) are really happy for me. They really want to see me do what’s best for me, and what I wanted to do,” he said.
The work isn’t over for Peihopa. He brought his weight down from 320 and lined up mostly at left guard for Kamehameha last season.
“At Nebraska, they did a bunch of algorithms and said I can carry 330 and maintain my body-fat percentage. I’m hoping get to 330 by my junior year,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of work.”
Eventually, Peihopa plans to major in exercise science and kinesiology in college, then become a strength coach at the college level. The daily grind during the COVID-19 pandemic has been consistent. School work in the morning. Weight training and running in the afternoons.
“I try to balance it out. If I wake up and I feel like playing Madden, I’ll do my homework later,” he said.
He works out with former Kamehameha teammate Micah Pasion, who walked on at Fresno State last season.
“We do the Fresno State workout. We just hiked up the percentages with the same amount of reps,” Peihopa said.
His max reps on the bench at 225 pounds was 19 at Wisconsin’s camp last summer.
“I think I’m at 26 (reps) now. Maybe higher,” said Peihopa, who has a max on the bench of “405 or 415.”
His max on the squat is 550.
“That was in January. It should be a little more now,” he said.
The power has always been there, but it was the cardio work that also made a difference.
“That’s the thing that a lot of linemen don’t take advantage of. If you’re not in shape, you can’t go long. I was 320 pounds in sophomore year, McDonald’s every day after practice, but I cleaned up my diet, eat healthy. I cut down to 15.9 percent body fat,” he said. “I try to run. Our PE program makes us run five miles. Now, I’m going three, maybe four miles on a good day around the community on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We have the hill here (in Makakilo).”
Lockdown staples
Top 3 TV shows/movies
1. Car Masters (Netflix). “They get a rusty car and flip it, restore it and trade it for a better car and keep trading until they get a six-figure car. Then they sell it and make a profit. They fabricate a lot of their own parts and pimp out the cars. It’s different from Pimp My Ride. It’s a mix of American Restoration and a car show.”
2. Thirteen Reasons Why (Netflix). “I started watching that. It was popular a year ago. I saw the first season, but it’s getting weird now, so I don’t watch it anymore.”
Top 3 food/snacks
1. Vienna sausage and rice. “Throw ‘um on the frying pan. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll put some shoyu, ketchup and sugar and fry it.”
2. Ham sandwiches with extra cheddar cheese. “Big chunks of cheese, a half-inch slice.”
3. Smoothies. “I make a lot of smoothies. My friend makes this protein shake with OJ and vanilla protein, and it tasted like Orange Dream from Jamba. Or frozen berries, banana and protein shake, make the smoothie.”
Top 3 video games
1. Madden. “I use the Niners. I play my friends a lot. I play online games sometimes to practice schedule. The toughest is Mikey Agasiva (of Mililani). He uses any team, but he uses the Saints playbook and he’s a tweaker. I’ve played two hours, tops. I get bored if it really fast.”
2. Fortnite. “I just play with my friends when everyone is on. If nobody’s on, I’m not playing. I’m not that good, that’s why.”
3. Grand Theft Auto 5. “That game is fun.”
If and when life returns to normal, Peihopa will be back under the sun grinding at Brian Derby Camp.
“I never really heard him say a joke in my life. Maybe when I’m older we’ll talk as compadres,” he said.
Peihopa played basketball as a freshman. Though he’s projected to play defensive line in college, he will always have a passion for the offensive side of the ball.
“That would be pretty cool if I get to play O-line too. That would be awesome. I do have hands. I was always talking to my offensive coordinator and have a tackle swing play and it’s like a lateral,” he said.
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