Peter Manuma has waited his entire football career for a senior year.
COVID-19 wiped out what was meant to be his senior year of high school football at Campbell. The HHSAA did not hold any championships for any sport in the 2020-2021 academic year. The Sabers, led by Manuma, star receiver Titus Mokiao-Atimalala and quarterback Blaine Hipa, were poised to make a run at the state title, something the proud program from ‘Ewa Beach has still yet to accomplish despite the talent it has produced over the years.
For Manuma and countless other athletes across the state, the pain of never knowing far outweighed the pain of if they were able to let the season play out and lose.
"If we were able to play, I think we would have been one of the best in the state," Manuma recalled to Aloha State Daily. "I mean, there's only so much we could say, but we just hoped that we could have got that year back, but we couldn't. So, it is what it is."
Manuma was the first 2021 recruit to commit to the University of Hawai‘i's recruiting class, choosing the Rainbow Warriors over another scholarship offer from Central Michigan. Because the 2020 season did not count against anyone's eligibility, a logjam was created in the team's roster. Manuma was asked to grayshirt, delaying his enrollment until the spring of 2022.
With a full semester off between high school and college, Manuma spent his days working at a KFC in his hometown of ‘Ewa Beach. When he was off the clock, he was consistently working out in preparation for college football.
"Fresh out of high school, I just worked out, staying in shape and whatnot, and I was working at KFC at the time. I was working over there, just getting money, training when I had time," Manuma recalled. "I ate a lot (of KFC). Chicken is one of my favorite things to eat, so I was grateful for it. It was really good."
When Manuma arrived in Mānoa, he more than made up for lost time. He saw immediate playing time at safety in 2022, becoming one of the few bright spots for a team that went 3-10. The then-freshman stuffed the stat sheet with 70 tackles, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups and three tackles for loss, including a sack. Manuma followed that up with a team-high 87 tackles in 2023, starting all 13 games.
Although he was limited to nine games in 2024, Manuma was already a proven commodity in the college football world. His hard-hitting style and free-flowing hair was the envy of countless Power Four programs. Following the season, a multitude of programs toted six-figure offers to Manuma, although he never publicly announced his intention to leave the program.
"There's people that supposedly are agents or whatever, and they try to text you," Manuma explained. "I don't know how the agent world works, I guess somebody hits them up to try to hit me up. So I mean, I just get texts that they want me to come to their school for this or that. For me, it's all about family and loyalty. It wouldn't have been easy for me to just up and leave just for a paycheck or whatever they're trying to offer."
Count UH safeties coach Nick Locher as one of those relived when Manuma announced he was coming back in 2025.
"I think it says a lot about Pete and his character and how strongly he feels about representing the state of Hawai‘i, and how much he cares about this program, this team and this state," Locher said. "Not only has he decided to come back and play for us, but Pete's a guy who does everything right. He's always one of the first ones in every drill. He sets the standard for how we want to practice, how we want to study, how we want to conduct ourselves as a room.
"It was a big relief for me when he announced that he was going to come back and stay home, and that hasn't led to him having any complacency. He's trying to get better every single day. I think he's on the path to have another really great year for us."
Family has continued to be a core tenet in Manuma's life. He lost his mother, Kuinileti, to breast cancer in 2022. Following the 2024 season, he married his wife, Relina. Last month, just days prior to training camp, the couple welcomed their first child.
"Shout out to my wife. She barely sleeps. I try to let her sleep when she can, and she lets me sleep throughout the night so I'm rested for the next day at practice," Manuma said. "I try to go home after practice and meetings and just watch baby so she can rest. We have kind of a routine or a schedule that we try to run on. But babies are unpredictable, and sometimes I need her help, sometimes she needs my help. It's really good that we have each other and Baby. Baby is really good. We love her."
On Tuesday, Manuma was announced as one of UH's two team captains for the 2025 season, along with starting left guard Zhen Sotelo. Kickoff for the 2025 season is steadily approaching, with Hawai‘i hosting Stanford on Saturday at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex on Saturday.
"That first game is coming real close. You can feel it all around here in this facility," Manuma said. "Everybody means business.
"It's super exciting to finally have a senior year to cap things off. With COVID my senior year (of high school), I feel like we missed out. We missed out on some things, but I'm just grateful that I get a senior year this year."
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Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
