Kapolei two-way lineman with a smile of relief after signing his letter of intent to the University of Virginia. CJ Caraang | SL

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Kapolei two-way lineman with a smile of relief after signing his letter of intent to the University of Virginia. CJ Caraang | SL

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WAIKIKI — After a long and rather eventful recruitment, Kapolei two-way lineman Aaron Faumui made his final decision Wednesday morning, inking a National Letter of Intent with the University of Virginia.

Faumui, who is projected to play defensive line for the Cavaliers, was among 71 high school seniors to sign their NLIs at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, the site of the Wednesday's Signing Day ceremony. The event was put on by Education First Hawaii and live streamed exclusively on ScoringLive.com

"It was very stressful and it came down to the University of Hawaii and the University of Virginia," Faumui said. "I made my decision just a few minutes before I signed."

Faumui, who stands 6 foot, 3 inches and weighs 285 pounds, drew interest from several Power-5 schools, but just seven days ago gave a verbal commitment to the Rainbow Warriors.

"It's very tough," Faumui said of his decision to not sign with UH. "It's very tough because they showed me a lot of love, too."

Four coaches from Virginia, including offensive coordinator Robert Anae and running backs coach Mark Atuaia — both of them Laie natives — put the full-court press on Faumui during a home visit Friday.

"They said that they're going to take care of me and they're going to walk me through college," Faumui said.

Ultimately, Faumui said academics are what led him to sign with the Cavaliers.

"Their education really stood out — they're No. 3 in the nation," said Faumui, who has a 3.48 grade point average.

According to Kapolei coach Darren Hernandez, Faumui racked up 20 tackles for loss, including 14 sacks, on defense this season, as well as 22 pancake blocks on offense..

Faumui will join fellow First Team All-Hawaii defensive lineman Samson Reed of Kahuku at Virginia. Red Raiders' offensive lineman Micah Mariteragi, an All-Hawaii second teamer, will also be joining. Mariteragi signed his LOI in a separate signing ceremony at Kahuku High School Wednesday morning. Reed signed back in December during the early signing period.

One other football player, Punahou's Alama Uluave, made his commitment public at the event. Uluave, a 6-foot-4, 290-pound offensive lineman, signed with San Diego State of the Mountain West Conference, over Ivy League schools, Yale and Princeton.

"It was a family decision for me," said Uluave, a Second Team All-Hawaii pick last year. "I kind of made the decision about a month ago, but I decided just to hold on to it just to be sure about it — because it being a big life decision — so that's why I guess it took me a while, but I guess I made my mind up about a month ago."

Uluave said three current Aztecs — his former Punahou teammates, Seyddrick and Ronley Lakalaka, along with former Kamehameha standout Andrew Aleki — helped sway his decision.

"It's tough, education-wise, but I chose San Diego State just out of what fit best for me," Uluave said. "I took my visit to San Diego State and it felt like a second Hawaii. I have a couple of teammates up there, too — the Lakalaka brothers (Seyddrick and Ronley) and Andrew Aleki — they really took care of me and they showed me the good sides of San Diego State and they were very truthful with me and how they like it up there. They said they love it and I loved my visit, so I just thought that sounds good."