Farrington senior linebacker Justin Vele has made a verbal commitment to play football for the University of Hawai'i next season.

Vele, 6 feet 1 and 235 pounds, was named Defensive Player of the Year in the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's Red Conference Eastern Division this past season. He had received interest from Washington, Colorado and San Diego State, among others, but decided on UH after making an official recruiting visit to the Manoa campus this past weekend.

"That was awesome," Vele said, referring to his UH visit. "(Freshman defensive end) Beau Yap was a great host, I liked the facilities, and the coaches were excited. They really wanted to see me come (to UH)."

Vele has a 3.8 cumulative grade point average at Farrington, including a 3.2 in his NCAA core requirement classes. He already has a qualifying score on his SAT.

Vele said he will sign a National Letter of Intent at Wednesday's Pacific Islands Athletic Alliance ceremony at the Sheraton Waikiki.

He said he is especially excited to play in front of family and friends. Vele's relatives include Vince Manuwai, a former Farrington and Hawai'i standout and NFL veteran offensive lineman.

"That caught my attention -- I grew up watching him play, and now my family will get to watch me play," Vele said.

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