Warriors get commits from corner, receiver

Damario Mclean of Elk Grove High in Sacramento and Ralph Taufa‘asau of Samoana High in American Samoa told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser they will sign letters of intent on Feb. 1, the first day 2017 recruits may put their commitments in writing.

“I love Hawaii,” Mclean said. “It’s nice and beautiful. I grew up in Sacramento, and there are a lot of Bay Area guys out there. I should fit in there.”

Mclean, who is 6 feet 2 and 185 pounds, is projected to compete at cornerback or safety. He said he ran 40 yards in a hand-timed 4.5 seconds.

Mclean also received offers from Wyoming, San Jose State, Nevada and Sacramento State.

Mclean also played soccer, basketball and baseball before focusing solely on football the past two years. He honed his football skills training at Lem Adams’ Game-Fit facility.

“I’m always there,” Mclean said.

He said he plans to study kinesiology, business or marine biology at UH.

Taufa‘asau cited his decision on his extended family in Hawaii and the growing succss of the Rainbow Warriors’ football program. “It’s a great opportunity for me,” he said.

Taufa‘asau is 6 feet 4 1/2 and 220 pounds. He has played wideout since sixth grade but is projected to compete at tight end for the Warriors.

He played for American Samoa in Saturday’s JPS Paradise Bowl at Aloha Stadium. He had four receptions, including a 3-yard scoring catch.

“He’s a humble kid, and also a silent kid,” said his father, Wallace Taufa‘asau. “I’m trying to get him not to be shy. If you ask him if he wants something to drink, he’ll say, ‘no,’ but he wants something to drink. That’s him. But he plays tough. He loves the game.”

Ralph Taufa‘asau said: “I love everything about football.”

Taufa‘asau alao excels in basketball. Two of his uncles coach for American Samoa’s national basketball team. His cousin, Kurt Taufa‘asau, played defensive tackle for the Oakland Raiders and Indianapolis Colts

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The hills are alive with the sound of … football pads popping?

“It will be fun,” said former UH assistant coach Dan Morrison, who was hired as assistant coach for the Swarco Raiders of the Austrian Football League.

The Raiders are the two-time AFL defending champions. They won the Eurobowl in 2008, 2009 and 2011. They are based in Innsbruck, site of two Winter Olympics (1964, 1976) and in the middle of the Alps. Morrison will instruct quarterbacks and receivers while helping to implement a passing offense.

“Austria and Germany both know their players are a little bit more Arnold Schwarzenegger-type players,” Morrison said. “They’re big and strong. They want to learn the other aspects of this game, and that’s throwing and receiving. And they do have some pretty good athletes there, too.”

Morrison signed a six-month contract that runs from Feb. 1 through July 31. The AFL season begins in mid-March, with the championship in July. There are two levels of American football in Austria — juniors and semi-pro. The Raiders are a semi-pro team founded in 1992.

“The guys have jobs and families,” Morrison said. “They practice in the evening time. They’re playing because they really enjoy playing American football. That’s a nice situation to be in.”

Morrison coached at Punahou, Roosevelt and Iolani before joining June Jones’ initial UH staff in 1999. He joined Jones at SMU in 2008. After completing his tenure at SMU in 2014, Morrison remained in Dallas, where his daughter and grandchild live.