Sixteen months into the process, Wynden Ho‘ohuli is a wanted man from coast to coast.
Kansas State is the newest football program on the list for the Mililani senior-to-be. The Wildcats offered a scholarship to Ho‘ohuli on Monday, the 14th in all. Kansas State is also the first team from the Big 12 to formalize interest.
“(Assistant) Coach Mike Tuiasosopo texted me the week before and I called him. They really like my tape, so they were holding a scholarship for me. He wanted me to check out the school and see what they’ve accomplished. The linebackers coach, Coach (Steve) Stanard, hit me up on Twitter and we were going back and forth. He really likes my tape, then Coach (Chris) Klieman, their head coach, was the one who gave me the scholarship offer. It was nice getting to meet all of them,” Ho‘ohuli said. “We did a FaceTime call with all the coaches so it was great touching base with them, telling them how much I appreciate the offer. So it wasn’t really a surprise.”
Ho‘ohuli, a Star-Advertiser All-State second-team selection last fall, has seen what Kansas State likes to do defensively.
“They run a similar defense to what we run at Mililani. If I can be a leader on the defensive side of the field, I could have potential playing time and start as a freshman. I was really fired up,” he said.
Ho‘ohuli also has an offer from the ACC (Virginia) and one from Big 10 (Nebraska), plus nine from the Pac 12 and three from the Mountain West, including Hawaii.
“It’s all a blessing,” he said.
Offers (chronological order)
Utah (Pac 12) 2/11/19
Hawaii (MWC) 2/27/19
Arizona (Pac 12) 2/28/19
Arizona State (Pac 12) 5/1/19
Nebraska (Big 10) 5/15/19
USC (Pac 12) 6/24/19
Oregon State (Pac 12) 9/6/19
Oregon (Pac 12) 10/2/19
*Washington State (Pac 12) 10/20/19 (before Coach Mike Leach left)
Washington (Pac 12) 11/4/19
Washington State (Pac 12) 1/28/20 (re-offer by Coach Nick Rolovich)
Virginia (ACC) 2/6/20
Utah State (MWC) 2/24/20
San Diego State (MWC) 3/17/20
Kansas State (Big 12) 6/15/20
Now 210 pounds, the 6-foot-2 linebacker has an elite corps of workout warriors that meet at his house, supplementing his daily routine.
“Last fall I was 200. I’ve been trying to gain weight, taking more protein and get bigger before the season. I feel good, just working out every day since we can’t work out with our team yet. Some of the boys are coming over like Titus (Mokiao-Atimalala), Malosi (Sam) and Sonny (Semeatu), and couple of the older boys, Tyrese Tafai, Tamatoa (Mokiao-Atimalala), Poki‘i (Adkins-Kupukaa). They also work out at other places,” Ho‘ohuli said.
“We basically just lift at my house because I have my own weight set. One day a week at the park we run around, do cone drills, ladders, just get the feel of it,” he said.
Mililani defensive back Fatuvalu Iosefa committed to Cal on June 12. Semeatu, a linebacker, has an offer from Hawaii. Recent graduates of the class of 2020 are en route to next level: linebacker Bam Amina (Colorado State), linebacker Muelu Iosefa (Cal), defensive end Shane Kady (Oregon State), offensive lineman Sergio Muasau (Hawaii).
The start of the Hawaii high school football season was pushed back to Aug. 17. If the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, there could be another delay, or multiple delays. It’s a bizarre time to be a premier high school student-athlete.
“If there is no season, jeez, I don’t know. I really love playing football. I can’t stop. I would be devastated and I would have to keep working out,” Ho‘ohuli said.
Lockdown staples
Top shows/movies
1. All-American
2. The Originals. “My girlfriend (Alyanna Abellada) she put me on that show.”
Top 3 food/drinks
1. Mozzarella sticks
2. Breakfast. “I’ve been eating a lot of eggs, even at night. Making omelettes. I make it with cheese, mushrooms, spinach, tomato, bacon.”
3. Body Armor (strawberry/banana and watermelon). “I’ve been drinking that a lot. Also a lot of Propel.”
During the pandemic, Ho‘ohuli learned a new skill.
“In the backyard, we put in two planters. Me and my dad (Watson) took out some pretty big rocks, and we built the planters. My parents set it up and we got all the supplies. That took two to three days as a project,” he said. “My mom (Kristie) is mostly the gardener. She planted some carrots and black beans. Sometimes she works out with me, and then we check the garden, make sure it’s growing. Yams, basil, parsley, some lettuce, some tomatoes, carrots. Some onions.”
With his mass consumption of eggs, it would make sense to have a coop.
“We had some chickens at my grandma and grandpa’s house in Nanakuli. One time, we had 12 eggs in one day,” he said.
Ho‘ohuli’s mentality is about teamwork.
“To my team at Mililani. I haven’t seen them in awhile, so shout out to them. My mom, my dad, Titus, Malosi, Sonny, Poki‘i, Tyrese, shout out to them. They always work out with me, just getting bigger and stronger,” he said. “Shout out to my girlfriend. She keeps me on track and makes sure I work out and reach my potential. She’s always there for me. Shout out to all these people. They’ve made a big impact in my life.”
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