Rainbow Warriors add pass rushers with pedigree

Ahead of the Christmas rush, the University of Hawaii football team improved its pass rush.

Nose tackle/defensive tackle Daniel “Sauce” Williams of Trinity Valley College (Texas) and outside linebacker Patrick Hisatake, a graduate transfer from Cal, said they have accepted scholarship offers from the Rainbow Warriors. They will put their commitments in writing on Wednesday, the first day of the NCAA’s early signing period for football prospects, and begin UH classes on Jan. 8.

Williams will have two UH seasons remaining. Hisatake is eligible for up to four more seasons.

Williams received several offers after amassing 11 sacks this past season. But with his mother’s blessing, he chose UH after they enjoyed a recruiting visit last weekend.

“It was all the love Hawaii’s shown,” Williams said. “Hawaii put a smile on my mama’s face in how they went out of their way.”

Williams joked his mother would be willing to relocate. “Oh, trust me, she’s been talking about it,” Williams said.

At 6 feet and 320 pounds, Williams has the strength and burst to play across the defensive line.

Williams said he got the nickname “Sauce” years before New York Jets rookie cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner rose to prominence.

“I got it from middle school when I was selling candy,” he said. “They were like, ‘Oh, man, he’s got the sauce. He always has it.’”

Hisatake, who is 6 feet 5 and 240 pounds, was born in American Samoa but moved to Hawaii when he was 3 months old. He grew up in Kalihi and attended Mililani High as a freshman. After that, his family sought more opportunities in Oregon, where he spent the next three years.

As a Westview High senior, Hisatake received offers from several schools, including Michigan, UCLA, Nebraska, Arizona, Kansas State, Central Florida and Hawaii. He chose Cal before a visit. “I took a leap of faith,” he said.

But fate was less kind. Soon after enrolling in January 2021, he suffered a torn ACL in his left knee. The recovery was nearly 14 months.

On the third to the last practice ahead of the 2022 opener, he suffered a broken left hand against a teammate’s helmet. It would be another 10 weeks before he was fully healed, making it the second year in a row he did not play a snap.

This week, he entered the transfer portal and reached out to the UH coaching staff and his cousin, Ray Hisatake, a former Warriors lineman who works at Saint Francis High in San Jose.

“I did my job,” Ray Hisatake said of making a pitch for his alma mater.

“I started talking to the UH coaches, and Coach (Timmy) Chang and Coach Keiki (Misipeka, the point recruiter), and I realized it’s time to come back home,” Hisatake said. “They showed me so much love. … I like what Coach Chang is building. I’m familiar with the coaching staff. I’m excited for the years to come.”

Hisatake is projected to compete as a rush end. “My main goal is to get sacks this coming season,” Hisatake said.