Soon bypassed a chance to play Army so he could join the Mustangs (photo by Soon family).

There’s a difference between being a high school football player who gets a chance to play for his home state school and being a high school wide receiver in Hawaii and getting a chance to play for June Jones. Charles Soon III took an indirect route, but he’s getting the chance to do exactly that.

Soon was rated as the No. 12 player — and No. 1 wide receiver — in Hawaii (photo by Soon family).

Soon, who is known as “Ekolu” — Hawaiian for “Three” — will walk on at SMU next season. He was rated the No. 12 player in the state of Hawaii — and No. 1 wide receiver — and No. 89 in the Northwest Region Top 100 by scout.com and second-team All-League (ILH) as the top aerial target at Honolulu’s Kamehameha School (he lives in Mililani on the main island of O’ahu, about 20 minutes north of the state’s capital city).

Soon, who originally committed to play next year at Army, said the chance to play for Jones, whose Hawaii teams he has followed for years, was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

“I had been thinking about SMU since last year as an academic option,” Soon said about his change of heart. “When Army changed (its) offense to the Wishbone, I no longer saw myself fitting in to their offensive scheme. I applied for admission to SMU on my own and was accepted. When Coach Jones got the job, I called (SMU wide receivers) Coach (Jeff) Reinebold and he has been my contact at SMU.

“I decided to switch from Army to SMU because SMU seemed like the best fit for me. The great academics at SMU, June Jones and the Run-and-Shoot, along with the other (former) Hawaii coaches proved to be the deciding factors for me. SMU has a great campus and it just felt like the right place for me.”

The 5-foot-10, 163-pound Soon has been clocked as fast as 4.45 in the 40-yard dash. He has not tested for a maximum bench press or squat, but has had his vertical jump measured as high as 37 inches. A versatile athlete, Soon competed in basketball and track before eschewing the other sports to dedicate all of his attention to football. “I played point guard on the basketball team but I did not play this past year in order to concentrate more on football,” he said. “I did run track in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay. My fastest 100-meter time is 11.01.”

His versatility carried over to the field, as well, as he played multiple positions before settling in as a receiver. Soon, whose father played at the University of Hawaii, has had to hone that versatility through the last three seasons, during which he had to play for three different coaches.

Soon called June Jones' scheme "a receiver's dream offense." (photo by Soon family).

“I did play corner a few years ago, but since then I have concentrated on receiver,” he said. “I played all four receiver positions in my high school’s spread offense this year but primarily at slot. My sophomore year we ran a double-tight end set, my junior year we ran Oregon State’s offense, and this year we ran a spread offense.”

The ability to run crisp routes (which he identified as the biggest strength of his game) and the attention he pays to his favorite teams and players has Soon confident he’ll succeed in the fall when playing for the coach he grew up watching.

“I like the (Dallas) Cowboys, of course, and the (San Diego) Chargers,” he said. “I grew up watching the University of Hawaii, so I'll always be a fan at heart.

“My favorite player is LaDainian Tomlinson. Guys that I try to pattern my game after are Davone Bess (Miami Dolphins) and Ryan Grice-Mullen (Houston Texans) who both played slot at Hawaii this past season. I got to train with them this past summer and I really enjoyed it.

Soon, who said he plans to be a pre-med major, drew interest from Army, Georgetown, Hawaii, Utah and Tulsa, including offers from the first two. But when it came down to it, the opportunity to play for Jones at a school he already was considering was something he just couldn’t miss out on.

“I am very excited to have the opportunity to play for Coach Jones, who is a legend in the state of Hawaii,” Soon said. “The Run-and-Shoot is a receiver’s dream offense, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to be a part of it. I think great things are coming to SMU with Coach Jones.”