The University of Hawai'i football team has secured a commitment from one of the state's top defensive prospects.

Vaughn Meatoga of Kamehameha Schools said he has decided to fulfill a childhood dream of playing for the Warriors.

He will put his commitment in writing Feb. 7, the first day high school recruits may sign binding national letters of intent. This is the earliest commitment in June Jones' eight years as UH head coach.

"I want to play at home," said Meatoga, who was born on Kaua'i and has boarded at Kamehameha since the ninth grade. "As a kid, I always wanted to play for UH. Now I'll get the chance."

Meatoga, who is 6 feet 2 and 274 pounds, plays defensive tackle for Kamehameha. He is projected to compete at defensive end in UH's 3-4 alignment.

Rivals.com, a respected scouting service, rated Meatoga as the nation's 43rd-best defensive tackle. He also is listed as the state's No. 7 overall football prospect.

"That was nice, because I never went to the Nike combine or anything like that," Meatoga said.

At a combine put on by the Pacific Islands Athletics Alliance (PIAA) in May, Meatoga bench pressed 225 pounds 17 times. He also ran 40 yards in 5.0 seconds, and completed the shuttle run in 4.6 seconds.

During the summer, he bench pressed 365 pounds.

"I know I have to work really hard to prepare for next year," Meatoga said.

Meatoga, it seems, has been preparing for this opportunity most of his life. He joined Pop Warner as a fifth-grader on Kaua'i.

He also competed in baseball and golf. But one day, he decided to focus entirely on football, dropping the other sports.

Meatoga weighed 160 pounds as a Kamehameha freshman. But he bulked up, and as a sophomore, he was on the Kamehameha team that won the state championship.

"That was a lot of fun," he said.

This year, Meatoga drew interest from Washington, Boise State, Colorado, Fresno State and New Mexico State.

He received early scholarship offers from UH and Nevada-Las Vegas. But he had already made his decision.

Meatoga was going to announce his choice this weekend. By making his choice public yesterday, he can enjoy Saturday's game between UH and Idaho.

"I go to all of the UH games," Meatoga said. "That won't change."

ALAMA-FRANCIS HURTING

Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis did not practice yesterday because of back tightness, but the UH coaches are hopeful he will be available for Saturday's game against Idaho.

Asked about his availability, Alama-Francis said, "I don't know yet."

He said his lower back "feels weird. ... We'll see how it goes."

Alama-Francis experienced back spasms Friday night following a walk-through practice in El Paso, Texas. He indicated to the medical staff that he did not know if he would be able to play against New Mexico State the following night.

But Alama-Francis started at right end, helping to contain the Aggies' prolific passing attack, in the Warriors' 49-30 victory. He was used for 51 plays, the most among the UH defensive linemen.

After the game, Alama-Francis appeared to be in discomfort, again complaining of back spasms.

Monday night, he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine the condition of his lumbar. An MRI uses magnetic fields to create an image of the body's interior.

Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville did not want to speak specifically about Alama-Francis' situation.

But in general, Glanville said, "Nobody can tell you how your back is. Only you know how it will be."

Keala Watson, who has played mostly defensive left end this season, yesterday practiced as the first-team right end.

"It's kind of the same thing, only flipped over," said Watson, who was a nose tackle last year. "All of the assignments are the same."

Glanville said he is confident Watson can play each of the three line positions in the Warriors' 3-4 scheme.

"Really, he was a big-time football player before he had the bout with the flu (two weeks ago)," Glanville said of Watson, who has lost more than 20 pounds. "He's down around the 290s. I want him to eat more cookies. The bigger he is, the better he plays. I want him to keep growing until he runs out of skin."

BRENNAN'S 'ALL GOOD'

An MRI showed quarterback Colt Brennan has a "curvature" in his back that can cause tightness in his hamstrings but is otherwise harmless.

He said he does not have any nerve problems, and his condition — classified as a "lumbar strain" — is not a concern.

"It's all good," he said, adding he had his best "Tuesday practice of the season" yesterday. On Tuesdays, the Warriors practice against the scout team, which portrays the upcoming opponent's defense.

Brennan said he underwent the MRI because he has had recurring tightness in his hamstrings during practices.