Fruean, who is 6 feet 2 and 203 pounds, also received interest from San Jose State and Nevada-Las Vegas.

Although he has made a verbal pledge, Fruean will not put his commitment in writing today, the first day football recruits may sign binding national letters of intent with NCAA schools.

Fruean was born in Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) and entered Hawai'i at a young age. Because his birth records need to be verified, Fruean will have to wait at least a week before he can sign the letter of intent. Fruean has been assured there will be no further complications.

As of late last night, the Warriors were awaiting a decision from Saint Louis School defensive tackle Tyson Alualu, who was mulling offers from UH and California.

The Warriors had reserved a scholarship for Lake Oswego (Ore.) High School receiver/safety Kevin Maher, who decided to commit to Oregon State. Maher told his father he wanted to choose UH, but "my mother wanted me to stay (in Oregon)."

Hawai'i will not fill Maher's scholarship immediately.

The Warriors' usual recruiting pattern is to stock up on offensive linemen, defensive ends and cornerbacks. While they secured verbal commitments from five offensive linemen, they also addressed immediate needs at receiver and the defensive front.

Of the 25 verbal commitments, 13 were made by defensive players.

What's more, UH is reserving scholarships for safety/linebacker Chris Assily (Kaiser High, 2004 graduate) and safety Viliami Nauahi (Kahuku High, 2003). Assily and Nauahi are working to meet the academic requirements to enroll at UH in the fall.

To replace last year's two starting defensive tackles, the Warriors received verbal commitments from Raphael Ieru of McKinley High School, Rocky Savaiigaea of 'Aiea High School and Siave Seti of West Los Angeles College. Ieru, an offensive lineman at McKinley, has agreed to switch to the defensive side.

The Warriors also added five hard-hitting linebackers, sending a two-point message: They are tired of being vulnerable against rushing teams, and linebacker coach Cal Lee is assuming greater input in the recruiting process. Lee is the most successful coach in Hawai'i high school football history, winning 14 O'ahu Prep Bowls and the inaugural state championship.

In constructing this recruiting class, the Warriors showed reach (they landed recruits from Georgia and Pennsylvania), creativity (an offensive lineman is from Australia), and determination.

Washington and Oregon State were relentless recruiters, often swooping in for unheralded prospects the Warriors had uncovered.

Linebacker Brashton Satele of Word of Life — whose parents were UH athletes — was the first to make a verbal commitment. But Oregon State would not go away, encouraging Satele to take a recruiting trip and maintaining frequent contact.

"I liked it a lot," Satele said of his recruiting trip to Corvallis, Ore., "but I realized it was 48 hours. (UH) is four or five years."

Oregon State and Nevada-Las Vegas also did not give up on North Torrance (Calif.) offensive lineman Laupepa Letuli, who has family in Hawai'i and encouraged his best friend, wideout Antwan Mahaley, to commit to UH.

The Oregon State coaches "called me (Monday) to give me some words of wisdom, so to speak," Letuli said. "But Hawai'i is home. This decision is not just about me. It's about my whole family. The whole family is involved."

Offensive lineman Daniel Johnson of Skyline High in Washington state is one of the few recruits with no ties to the Islands.

But, Johnson said, "I feel that going to the University of Hawai'i will help me grow as an individual, on and off the field. I'm excited about playing in Hawai'i, and learning about Hawai'i's culture."