Former Hawaii walk-on earns scholarship, playing time with 2-6 Warriors


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HONOLULU — Donnie King Jr. still remembers what it was like only a couple of years ago. The early risings. The trek to campus at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The daily grind not atypical of most walk-on receivers in Division I college football.

That’s what makes him grateful for what he has now.

King, a senior, has risen from ranks of the walk-on and scout team returner and has found himself as a solid target for quarterback Ikaika Woolsey and Hawaii, which will host Utah State on Saturday at 9 p.m. MDT with a live stream available on themw.com.

It’s all turned into a modern-day Cinderella story, the 5-foot-7, 155-pound King admits.

“I’d just grind, but now it feels great,” he said. “I have a scholarship, get some PT. It’s great. It’s amazing.”

Hawaii (2-6, 1-2 MWC) hasn’t had the greatest season, but finding a grateful talent like King has been a success for Warriors coach Norm Chow. The former Utah offensive coordinator has used King as a slot receiver and return specialist since 2013, and the wideout caught his first touchdown pass of the year last weekend against Nevada, a 38-yard scamper late in the first quarter. He had a game-high 59 receiving yards against the Wolf Pack.

Donnie King, Jr. catches a pass and runs downfield in a game against Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. (Courtesy photo: UH Sports Media Relations)
Donnie King, Jr. catches a pass and runs downfield in a game against Nevada on Saturday, Oct. 25 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu. (Courtesy photo: UH Sports Media Relations)

“That’s the fun part of this crazy business,” Chow told reporters after practice this week. “Ultimately, you are measured by wins and losses. But to see a young man’s smile like that (after catching a touchdown pass), it’s great. He works hard every day, never complains, and it’s really nice to see people like that succeed.”

King has 62 yards on five receptions as a senior and boasts two touchdowns on his career after moving to the offense in 2013. But it isn’t always about the stats for the native of Kapolei, Oahu. King, a sociology major and former standout wrestler in the islands, has lined up at defensive back, slot receiver and kick returner in his time with the Warriors.

Woolsey found King late in the first quarter against the Wolf Pack, and the Warriors took a 10-0 lead before Nevada came back for a 26-18 victory. When the starting quarterback found the former walk-on open, he knew what he had to do to get him the ball.

“Donnie made a great play on that touchdown, which he always does in practice,” Woolsey said. “He’s a hard worker, a smaller guy, but he makes good decisions to make a play on the ball.”

As Utah State (5-3, 2-1 MWC) prepares to travel to the islands with its fourth-string quarterback under center, Hawaii is welcoming them with familiar faces and a few injuries of its own. Defensive coordinator Kevin Clune spent five years in the role at Utah State and will line up a defense eerily similar to Utah State's previous seasons. But the Warriors have been hamstrung by injuries to their linebacking corps that have kept consistency from a 2014 season that included a win over Wyoming to start Mountain West play.

The adversity has also made Hawaii’s staff grateful, like its fresh receiver with a brand-new scholarship.

“It’s a feel-good story,” receivers coach Luke Matthews said of King. “He works hard, comes out here every day and makes plays on the practice field.

“We wanted to give him a chance to make plays, and he went out there and did it.”

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