Michigan football vs. Hawaii: Rainbow Warrior depth chart, personnel, stats, and more
Hawaii is 0-2 in the Timmy Chang era, and it’s not looking good for the Rainbow Warriors when they come to Ann Arbor on Saturday night. The Warriors lost both games in blowout fashion, to Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky, and now comes to The Big House to take on No. 4 Michigan.
Some outlets have the spread as high as 51.5 in favor of the Wolverines, one of the biggest point spreads you’ll ever find. Hawaii has only seen four punts thus far through two games, is allowing an average of 56 points per game while only managing 13.5 on offense. There’s not much going well for this outfit.
But who will the maize and blue see lined up across from them? We have it all here, including the players’ experience, stats from this year, if they had any meaningful action or stats previously, and some PFF grades, if applicable.
Check it all out below.
Quarterback
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Brayden Schager
Schager started three games for the Rainbow Warriors in his freshman year a year ago, having gone 2-1. He appeared in six games total, going 65-for108 (60.8%) for 615 yards, having thrown two touchdowns and five interceptions. Obviously, he’s 0-2 as the starter this year.
He’s completing 58.8% of his passes thus far through two games in 2022, having thrown 391 yards (5.8 yards per attempt). He’s thrown zero touchdowns and four interceptions. He has two rushing attempts for 10 yards.
Joey Yellen
Yellen, in his third year, has also appeared in both games, and has gone 14-for-31 (45.2%) for 125 yards and one interception. He is a transfer from Pitt, but started his career in 2019 at Arizona State, where he started one game against USC where he threw for 292 yards in a win.
Running back
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Dedrick Parson
The second-leading rusher a year ago with 618 yards on 118 carries, the senior Parson had a team-leading eight rushing touchdowns in 2021. He’s also proven a threat in the pass game, with 28 receptions for 279 yards and a touchdown.
In 2022, Parson has 28 carries for 111 yards (3.96 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. He transferred to Hawaii before last season after having spent two years at Howard,w here he managed 1,553 yards on the ground, 409 yards through the air, and 12 touchdowns with the Bison.
Nasjzae Bryant-Lelei
Bryant-Lelei carried the ball 17 times thus far in 2022, and has 85 yards (5 yards per carry) and one touchdown. He transferred to Hawaii prior to the 2021 season after having spent three years at Catawba College.
Wide receiver
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Jonah Panoke
Panoke is currently the leading receiver for the Rainbow Warriors through two games in terms of yardage. He has nine receptions for 133 yards (14.78 yards per catch). He’s entering his fourth year with Hawaii.
Jalen Walthall
A redshirt freshman from Houston, Texas, Walthall is the second-leading receiver, and has eight catches for 114 yards (14.25 yards per catch) through two games.
Dior Scott
Scott has been a reserve for Hawaii the past two years and played for two seasons at Laney College prior to the 2020 season. He has six catches for 45 yards thus far in 2022.
James Phillips
Phillips has the most catches of any Rainbow Warriors receiver, with 10 catches for 55 yards. He’s been with the program the last three years, but started his career at Mt. San Jacinto College. He’s currently a senior.
Tight end
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Jordan Murray
A transfer from Missouri State, where he played for four years, Murray had 26 catches for 351 yards last year. Thus far in 2022, he has four catches for 34 yards.
Caleb Phillips
Phillips is the other option at tight end, and he has three catches for 30 yards.
Offensive line
Hawaii offensive lineman Eliki Tanuvasa (61) tries to keep Western Kentucky linebacker Will Ignont (23) off Hawai running back Dedrick Parson (31) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Ilm Manning – LT
A 6-foot-4, 295-pound senior, Manning has spent his entire career at Hawaii. He was an All-Mountain West honorable mention in 2021 and made the second team in 2019. He’s started every game except two in his career.
Sergio Muasau – LG
Former walk-on Stephan Bernal-Wendt is the would-be starter, but he was injured in the game against Western Kentucky. He’s replaced by Muasau, who is a redshirt sophomore, who appeared in eight games on special teams in 2020, but was a member of the scout team in 2021. According to PFF, he grades out as the team’s third-best lineman, behind the man he’s replacing and RG Micah Vanderpool. He’s had 42 snaps thus far, and grades out as the team’s worst pass blocker with a 53.9 grade.
Eliki Tanuvasa – C
Tanuvasa is a Hawaii native who started at Eastern Illinois before transferring to his hometown school in 2019. He was a backup until last year, when he got six starts in 2021 at the guard position. According to PFF, he has the second-worst offensive grade, but is the third-best pass blocker.
Micah Vanterpool – RG
Vanterpool is Hawaii’s best offensive lineman, grading out with the best offensive grade and best run-blocking grade according to PFF. A Phoenix native, he’s a senior for the Rainbow Warriors, was an All-Mountain West honorable mention last year, and allowed just two sacks in 2021. At 6-foot-6, 315-pounds, the Warriors will attempt to run in his direction.
Austin Hopp – RT
A Minnesota native who got his start at Western Illinois, Hopp started 23 games there before playing in 13 games with the Rainbow Warriors in 2021. He grades out as the worst lineman, according to PFF, with a. 57.5 offensive grade, and the worst run-blocking grade of 55.9.
Defensive tackle
Hawaii defensive lineman John Tuitupou (90) blocks a field goal attempt by UNLV place kicker Daniel Gutierrez (32) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Blessman Ta’ala – NT
A 6-foot-2, 305-pound senior, Ta’ala started four games last year and had six tackles for loss in 2021, and was an All-Mountain West honorable mention in 2020. He has just two tackles thus far in 2022, but grades out as the second-best interior lineman behind reserve Fo’i Shaw. He also has two QB hurries this year.
John Tuitupou – DT
Despite playing the second-most snaps of the interior linemen in 2022, Tuitupou grades out as the worst on the team, with an abysmal 45.3 overall grade, dragged down by his 22.5 tackling grade. He has one tackle thus far in 2022. At 6-foot-4, 300-pounds, the American Samoa native got his start at East Los Angeles College, but transferred to Hawaii in 2020.
Ezra Evaimalo
He’s played 50 snaps thus far this season, and has two tackles. He was a reserve last year, and is 6-foot-2, 240-pounds.
Anthony Sagapolutele
He’s played 23 snaps thus far this season, with 19 being on rushing downs. He’s undersized at 5-foot-11, 270-pounds, but got his start playing for UNLV, having transferred to Hawaii this past offseason. He has one tackle thus far this year.
Defensive end
Arkansas defensive lineman Mataio Soli (11) puts the pressure on Pine Bluff quarterback Skyler Perry (11) during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021, in Little Rock, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Mataio Soli
A transfer from Arkansas, Soli came to Hawaii after having spent three seasons with the Razorbacks, where he appeared in 33 games. He has the second-best defensive grade as a pass rusher, has two tackles, and two hurries thus far in 2021. He’s listed as 6-foot-4, 230-pounds.
Jonah Kahahawai-Welch
A senior, Kahahawai-Welch essentially hadn’t played in two years, and only really saw time in his redshirt freshman season in 2019. He has seven tackles thus far through two games, but grades out as Hawaii’s second-worst edge rusher by PFF. He’s listed at 6-foot-2, 230-pounds.
Kolby Wyatt
Wyatt only has 15 snaps through two games, but grades out as the best defensive end according to PFF, though he has just one tackle. He transferred to Hawaii before last year, and was a tight end before moving to defensive end. His original school was Georgia, where he was a defensive end and appeared in one game in 2018. He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 235-pounds.
Linebacker
Penei Pavihi
The second-leading tackler on the team, Pavihi has 10 tackles and half a tackle for loss thus far in 2022. He’s big, at 6-foot-3, 245-pounds and has a ton of experience, with 29 starts and 47 game appearances.
Isaiah Tufaga
Tufaga hasn’t graded out particularly well with a 48.1 mark given by PFF, but he’s played the most snaps thus far in 2022. He has nine tackles thus far, and is 6-foot-1, 230-pounds. This is his fourth season with Hawaii, but started three games for Oregon State in 2018. In 2020, he forced a fumble and had two fumble recoveries, and got another fumble recovery in 2021.
Safety
Vanderbilt running back Re’Mahn Davis (2) gets past Hawaii defensive back Leonard Lee (26) for a touchdown during the second half of a NCAA college football game, Saturday, Aug. 27, 2022, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
Leonard Lee
A transfer from Pima Community College, the 6-foot, 190-pound senior leads the team in tackles with 11. He grades out as the best defensive back for Hawaii, particularly in coverage. He’s been a member of the scout team the past three seasons and is only now getting his first taste of FBS-level college football.
Matagi Thompson
With six tackles thus far, the freshman has the most snaps of any defensive back, and has graded out the worst according to PFF, with a grade of 34.7, and 31.3 in coverage.
Malik Hausman – NB
The sole Hawaii player to net an interception thus far this season, Hausman is the third-best defensive back according to PFF. He’s a senior who played at Las Vegas (NV) Bishop Gorman, and spent five seasons with the Arizona Wildcats, where he appeared in 19 games.
Cornerback
HONOLULU, HI – AUGUST 27: Rocko Griffin #24 of the Vanderbilt Commodores runs the ball as Riley Wilson #6, Hugh Nelson II #3 and Malik Hausman #9 of the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors converge to make a tackle during the first half of an NCAA football game at the Clarance T.C. Ching Athletic Complex on August 27, 2022 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Darryl Oumi/Getty Images)
JoJo Forest
The fourth-leading tackler with nine, Forest transferred to Hawaii this year after having spent two seasons at Oregon State, where he appeared in 10 games. He’s a junior, but only saw time in 2019 as he sat out 2020 and transferred in 2021.
Hugh Nelson II
The worst-rated cornerback in terms of coverage (via PFF), Nelson is another former Georgia player, who was a walk-on in Athens and two-time defensive scout team player of the year. He played in one game as a Bulldog in 2019, but played in all 13 games for Hawaii last year and made six starts. He had two interceptions and six pass breakups in 2021.
Special teams
Hawaii kicker Matthew Shipley (2) kicks a field goal during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Colorado State, Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Darryl Oumi)
Matthew Shipley – K/P
A junior, Shipley is 2-for-2 in field goals and 3-for-3 in extra point attempts. He was a Lou Groza Award finalist last season (the award went to Michigan’s Jake Moody), and he made 18-of-21 attempts last year, and all 42 extra point attempts. He’s also punted 10 times thus far in 2022, with a per-punt average of 39.5 yards.
Kyler Halvorsen – K
Halvorsen handles kickoffs, and has had four touchbacks out of seven attempts, though one went out of bounds. He’s a sophomore and this is his second year handling the kickoff duties.
Solomon Landrum – LS
A transfer this season from Ole Miss, Landrum also spent time at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before ending up at Hawaii via Oxford. He started one game in the SEC, playing against Vanderbilt.
Dior Scott – PR
Scott has returned one punt thus far, and it went for zero yards.
Jalen Perdue – KR
Perdue’s primary action is as kick returner, and he’s had 10 returns for 174 yards thus far. He played at Antelope Valley College before transferring to Hawaii in 2020.
