Clayton Laurel, a defensive tackle from Leilehua High School, said he has accepted a football scholarship offer from the University of Hawai'i.

"I wanted to stay home," said Laurel, who also was recruited by Oregon State, New Mexico State and Nevada-Las Vegas.

Laurel, who is 6 feet 3 and 255 pounds, lived in North Carolina and Ohio before moving to Hawai'i at the start of his sophomore year. He said he has several relatives here.

Although he started for the Mules' basketball team, Laurel did not play football at Leilehua until this past season.

"I missed football," said Laurel, who had played the sport on the Mainland. "I wanted to try it again."

Rod York, who coaches the Leilehua defensive linemen, said Laurel participated in spring practice in April.

"He worked hard on learning the right techniques," said York, a former UH defensive lineman. "He watched a lot of film."

Laurel gained notice when he faced Mililani High School's Micah Kia, considered to be the best high school offensive lineman in the state. In that game, Laurel had seven tackles, including four for losses, and one sack.

While most NCAA teams review a prospect's highlight videotapes, according to York, the UH coaches requested complete videotapes of three Leilehua games.

"They didn't want to see only his best plays," York said. "They wanted to see how he reacted when things weren't going well. They wanted to see how he reacted when plays went away from him and how he reacted when plays came right at him. They liked what they saw."

Laurel can bench press 225 pounds 18 times, and run 40 yards in 5.1 seconds.

He has a cumulative grade-point average of 3.5, and already has received an ACT score that would allow him to play as an NCAA freshman.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.