“Washington wasn’t the place for me, and I already had a good relationship with Coach (Jacob) Yoro,” Pei said of the Warriors” defensive coordinator. “With Coach Timmy Chang coming in, it was an opportunity to start fresh with a new head coach, I guess, and come home and represent the home state. And it’s easier for my grandpa (to attend games). He’s my last grandparent alive.”
Pei, who projects to play safety or nickelback, remembers the challenging transition during his freshman year at Washington. “Coming back home, everyone has the same respect for each other.” he said of his new teammates. “I loved it. I feel more comfortable in the locker room compared to how it was in Washington. It was a nice week.”
kapakahi wrote: ↑Mon Apr 25, 2022 10:37 am
DB Meki Pei (‘Iolani HS ‘20 grad) who chose to accept PWO offer from UW (under former HC Jimmy Lake) over scholie offer from UH (under TG) is in the transfer portal with 4 to play 3.
Nice added depth to DB room. Seems to be a gamer - always near the ball and making plays. Could be a Bethly type playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
Coach Chang needs to leverage these bounce backs during recruiting visits with local kids , so they hear about being homesick, the difference in lockeroom culture at UH vs mainland schools and the opportunity to play with guys you know/played against and in front of the ohana.
Be humble and confident in yourself and all things you do.
Palolo_2LA wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:14 am
Nice added depth to DB room. Seems to be a gamer - always near the ball and making plays. Could be a Bethley type playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
While definitely a heady and instinctual defensive ball-hawk like Bethley, Pei is less of a hybrid linebacker/safety and instead more similar to former local UH safeties Hyrum Peters, Keao Monteih & Richard Torres (who could also play nickel back).
Palolo_2LA wrote: ↑Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:14 am
Nice added depth to DB room. Seems to be a gamer - always near the ball and making plays. Could be a Bethley type playing closer to the line of scrimmage.
While definitely a heady and instinctual defensive ball-hawk like Bethley, Pei is less of a hybrid linebacker/safety and instead more similar to former local UH safeties Hyrum Peters, Keao Monteih & Richard Torres (who could also play nickel back).
He played LB at Iolani and was around the line of scrimmage at UW, hence my comment. We'll see how things plan out. Seems to lack the ability to cover slot backs, so I don't see him with the NB referenced above.
Be humble and confident in yourself and all things you do.
Definitely a welcome addition to the team. That targeting call was unfortunate and certainly appeared to be unintentional, but the refs had to call it.
I watched Pei's recent video, and the player is honest, forthcoming, and acknowledged that he's been making tons of mistake. I like that. I like a player that's straight up, and is looking to improve. On the season Pei has 6 mistackles with 3 coming in the NMST game and has a cumulative defensive grade of 62.1 (only Makaula grades higher with a 64.7). On the season Pei's taken 123 snaps with his most playing time against NMST (58 snaps). I like what's been said about Pei in that he's a fierce hitter.