Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen hasn't stopped working.
New Mexico, Fresno State, Weber State and Valparaiso are the latest football programs to offer football scholarships to Punahou defensive back Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen.
The four offers have arrived in the past week. That gives the 6-foot-2, 155-pound senior-to-be a total of 15.
(Chronological order)
Navy (AAC) 3/26/20
Army (independent) 4/6/20
Idaho (Big Sky) 4/16/20
Sacramento State (Big Sky) 4/17/20
Eastern Washington (Big Sky) 4/21/20
UNLV (MWC) 4/29/20
Central Michigan (MAC) 4/30/20
Utah State (MAC) 4/30/20
Montana (Big Sky) 5/14/20
San Diego State (MWC) 5/28/20
Southern Utah (Big Sky) 5/28/20
Valparaiso (Pioneer) 6/8/20
Weber State (Big Sky) 6/11/20
Fresno State (MWC) 6/12/20
New Mexico (MWC) 6/16/20
This is an impressive for any player in the islands, let alone a driven athlete who continued to work out daily through the COVID-19 pandemic. The onslaught of offers has caught Mendiola-Jensen a bit off guard.
“Right now I’m pretty much open to all schools still. I might have to start speeding up my process, depends on how many people commit to those schools,” he said.
Valparaiso (Ind.), led by new coach Landon Fox, is a relative stranger to the islands. The FCS program plays in the Pioneer Football League. Crusaders nickel backs coach RJ Ghilarducci was their point of contact.
“It’s pretty cool. I haven’t really seen the mainland too much, so it’s pretty cool to learn about new schools I never heard about before. They’re more of an academic school, which is awesome,” said Mendiola-Jensen, who has a 3.0 grade-point average.
Valpo surrendered 32 points and more than 381 yards per game last season, finishing 3-9 overall. The Crusaders shared last place with Jacksonville at 1-7. The league champion was San Diego.
Weber State’s connection to Hawaii is assistant coach Jared Ursua, older brother of former Hawaii receiver John Ursua. The Wildcats were co-champions of the Big Sky Conference with a 7-1 league mark (11-4 overall).
“That’s my guy right there. Coach Ursua is easy to talk to. Just tells me straight up what they see me as. They see me as anywhere I want, from corner to safety,” Mendiola-Jensen said.
Playing right away is a possibility in college, more so at an FCS program.
“I’m not too sure if I’d want to sit out one year or play off the bat. I probably want to gain more weight. I’d be perfectly fine with playing right off the bat,” he said.
Fresno State assistant coach Chuck Morrell has worked the island circuit.
“The Mountain West is pretty much the conference that’s been targeting me. I spoke with coaches Chuck Morrell and Roman Sapolu. I pretty much talked to Coach Chuck every day. He’s an awesome guy. I just got off a Zoom meeting showing me the campus. Very convincing. He shows me all the facilities since I can’t go up there to visit,” Mendiola-Jensen said.
The Bulldogs finished tied for last place in the MWC West Division at 2-6 (4-8 overall). New head coach Kalen DeBoer replaced Jeff Tedford, who stepped down after last season.
New Mexico was 0-8 in the MWC Mountain Division (2-10 overall) under Bob Davie, who was replaced by former Arizona State defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales.
>> I got that this morning. It was Coach Troy (Reffett). He’s the corners coach. The special teams coordinator, Jamie (Christian), he followed me last week. I talked story with him, and he said they were going to go over my film this week,” said Mendiola-Jensen, who is also a starting long snapper at Punahou.
When the offseason began, there was a big question mark about his girth. At 155 pounds, he covers the field and makes plays like a 180-pounder. But the offers started rolling up. With time at the training table and in the weight room, Mendiola-Jensen will fill out. Some coaches may want to give him the extra year.
“I’m pretty much not too sure if I want to redshirt. I’ve never experienced that level of play. It depends on when I get up there. I’ll definitely want to make a difference on the team,” he said.
With school over and some down time between workouts, Mendiola-Jensen has learned a new skill.
“I’ve been painting the house a lot. Repainting the house. Brown and some charcoal gray. It’s pretty fun, especially because I’ve got a whole bunch of my family there,” he said. “I’m the best painter. No, everyone’s pretty good at it.”
He also has shout outs for his offseason workout mentors.
“Kawe Johnson (of TMF). He’s been working on my football, working on my hips pretty much upgrading my game,” Mendiola-Jensen said. “Fastlethics, Coach Tony Pang Kee. They help me with the reads and my football IQ. Kenny Patton. He’s been getting me more explosive and better without my body throughout the year. Aloha Youth Athletics for filming all the workouts and sending me the video.”
He has also been doing his best to gain muscle and pounds.
“I’ve been eating salt and pepper pork chops from Mark’s Drive In at Stadium Mall. With mac salad. They way they make it is pretty good,” he said.
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