UW defensive end Hau'oli Jamora faces pressure of family, friends against Hawaii

As one of five Hawaiians on Washington's roster, defensive end Hau'oli Jamora will see more than a few old friends Saturday when the Huskies host the Warriors.

He'll also see a little family — Hawaii linebacker Corey Parades is his brother-in-law, married to Jamora's stepsister.

"We're really close," Jamora said of Parades, who last year was an all-Western Athletic Conference linebacker.

Jamora said the two exchanged a little trash talk over the summer but called it "fun and jokes. We all want each other to play to our best ability and see what happens."

Huskies coaches say that's rarely a problem for Jamora, one of the few defensive players to grade out well after Saturday's surprisingly competitive 30-27 win over Eastern Washington.

Jamora, a sophomore, got UW's only sack of the game and coach Steve Sarkisian said that "I thought we got good defensive-end play out of Hau'oli Jamora. I thought he was able to generate some pass rush. But they (Eastern Washington) were able to do some things sending the back his way and turning the line his way, and unfortunately we didn't get enough out of the other side, and that's something we've got to work on."

Eastern's Bo Levi Mitchell threw 69 passes in the game, 10 more than any quarterback ever had against the Huskies.

Jamora called it "exhausting. When you've got to rush the passer 60 times, I don't know how many moves you've got. Things get kind of redundant."

That Jamora kept going back for more is part of what enticed the UW coaches when they recruited him out of Kahuku High in Laie, Hawaii, among the first schools to contact him, unlike Hawaii which he said "recruited me late."

Jamora decided pretty early he would be amenable to leaving. Before his senior year, he gave a commitment to Brigham Young before decommitting and deciding to look around.

While he grew up a fan of the Warriors, many around him encouraged him to take a look elsewhere.

"There's a lot of people and family and friends that push us (Hawaii natives) to go somewhere else and become men and be on our own," he said.

That helps UW and other Pac-12 schools that recruit the state hard. Washington has landed many standout players from Hawaii, including center Olin Kreutz (1995-97), linebacker Ink Aleaga (1994-96), linebacker Ricky Andrews (team captain in 1988), center Bern Brostek (1986-89) and defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (2006-09).

Other Hawaiians on UW's roster are offensive tackle Micah Hatchie, safety Taz Stevenson, defensive tackle Lawrence Lagafuaina and defensive tackle Semisi Tokolahi.

"I was kind of disappointed (initially)," Jamora said about Hawaii not recruiting him earlier. "But it's all good now. It was still ultimately my choice. I could have gone there. I'm not angry at them or anything."

But he also knows the eyes of a state will be on him Saturday.

"I can't embarrass myself out there," he said.

Brown eager for homecoming

Hawaii has six Washington natives on its roster, three on its two-deep and one starter — senior linebacker Aaron Brown of Puyallup. Brown was suspended for Hawaii's 34-17 season-opening win over Colorado along with receiver Darius Bright for their alleged involvement in a fight the previous week off-campus, but has since been reinstated.

Brown said he is extremely excited to play at Husky Stadium, where he attended a number of games growing up.

The staff of then-UW coach Tyrone Willingham recruited him, but grades caused Brown to attend Saddleback (Calif.) Community College. Hawaii was among the first to offer him once he was there.

"When I took my visit I fell in love with the vibe out here, the people, the fans," he said.

Brown was third on the team last year in tackles with 83.

Other Washington players on Hawaii's two-deep are backup safety Leroy Lutu of Mercer Island, son of the former Huskies tight end of the same name, and cornerback Dee Maggitt of Lakes High.

NOTES

• Quarterback Keith Price was again limited in practice Tuesday while resting his sprained knee. Sarkisian said Monday that Price will play.

• Receiver Jermaine Kearse and cornerback Quinton Richardson again practiced fully.

• Linebacker Garret Gilliland (concussion) and safety James Sample (shoulder) were in red but practiced.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com

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