Isi Holani never lost sight of his dream to play Division I or FBS football, despite taking a detour the last two seasons at a pair of junior colleges.
Isi Holani never lost sight of his dream to play Division I or FBS football, despite taking a detour the last two seasons at a pair of junior colleges.
The 2014 Hilo graduate recently signed with Kansas, which finished 0-12 and in last place in the Big 12, a Power Five Conference member. Big 12 foes include Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Baylor and Texas among others.
“It’s always been a dream to play Division I college ball,” he said. “Kansas has a little bit of everything. I’m excited and get to explore a new place, somewhere I’ve never been. Hopefully, the best is yet to come.”
The 6-foot-4, 315-pound defensive tackle, rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, will have two seasons of eligibility in three years.
The Jayhawks started football in 1890, and, in their 126-year history, they’ve never had a winless season — until this year, under first-year coach David Beaty.
Too bad Holani isn’t six inches taller, and maybe he could play for the No. 1 Kansas basketball team. Back in the day, he was a cement-truck power forward for the Vikings.
During his recruiting trip in early December, Holani watched a Kansas basketball home game at Allen Fieldhouse.
“It’s crazy in there. They go hard,” said Holani, with the chant of “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk,” still ringing in his ears.
The next week, he took a recruiting visit to the University of Hawaii, his runner-up choice and a renovation project under new coach Nick Rolovich, who has two local transfers in the fold: UCLA offensive lineman Fred Ulu-Perry and USC’s Larry Tuileta.
Holani faced an internal tug of war: play for his hometown team and in front of family and friends or hit the road for a different journey.
“Part of me wanted to stay home and play in my home state,” he said. “Another part of me wanted to go out and explore and see a new adventure. My family was supportive whatever I chose. Something told me that Kansas was home for me.”
Well, at least, there’s nowhere to go but up for the Jayhawks on the gridiron, unless they pull another clunker.
A lot of the conference teams run uptempo spread offenses, and some of the Kansas losses were downright ugly: Baylor 66-7, Oklahoma 62-7 on homecoming, and West Virginia 49-0.
Kansas was last in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 46 points per game, and last in pass defense (294 yards), and second-to-last in rushing defense (267 yards).
It’s pretty obvious the Jayhawks couldn’t tackle or pressure the quarterback. There will be job openings, especially in the defense’s 4-3 front.
Holani and two other mid-year junior college transfer signees have to report to Kansas by Friday, so they’ll have a head start on the 2016 recruiting class, which can sign on Feb. 3.
Role models
Holani continues a trend of Viking defensive linemen landing Division I scholarships, following the footsteps of Washington’s Semisi Tolokahi and Oregon State’s Devon Kell, both 2009 graduates.
But when the sociology major, who finished with a 3.7 grade-point average in his last Juco semester, talks about his role models there is a lion’s pride roar in his voice.
The intangibles that helped him on the football field — such as commitment and self-sacrifice — Holani absorbed early from his parents, Keni, who works in construction, and Ane, a care-home nurse.
“I learned from the struggles they went through. My mom and dad moved here from Tonga to create a better future for me and my siblings,” Holani said. “I take that to heart, and it helps me fight through every day.
“Because jobs are hard to find here, my mom works in California. She was here for the holidays, but it was a hard decision for her. But she was doing it for everybody.”
Follow your dreams
Life is not supposed to be easy, especially in the world of Division I football, where there are far more players than available scholarships. (FBS schools have 85 scholarships.)
It’s a meat grinder in the California junior college ranks because there are no available athletic scholarships, but there is fierce competition because it’s a recruiting hotbed.
In his 2015 sophomore season at Riverside City College, Holani recorded 26 tackles, including 4.5 for losses, and led the Tigers to an 8-3 record and postseason appearance.
During his 2014 freshman campaign at Reedley College, Holani piled up 34 tackles, including 4.5 sacks.
“It’s really hard at the JC level in California. There’s a lot of competition,” he said.
His dream is to get a shot at the NFL. But Holani is also looking big picture, too.
“I want to take football as far as I can. If I can go to the NFL, that would be a major blessing,” he said. “But I want to get my degree and graduate from college and do something with my life. I want to make my parents proud.”
He’s also hoping to set a blueprint for other BIIF football players, who dream of playing Division I ball.
“The No. 1 key is academics. It’s a really big thing, and if you have true talent it gets noticed,” Holani said. “Our Big Island boys have got to know to follow your dreams, no matter how big.”