Cordeiro attended Saint Louis School in Honolulu. He was the backup to Tua Tagovailoa, and wasn't named the starting quarterback until his senior year as a result. In his lone season as the starter, Cordeiro accumulated over 3,000 total yards and 39 touchdowns en route to a 10–0 record and an Open Division state title. He was also named the state's Gatorade Hawaii Football Player of the Year as well as the Star-Advertiser'sOffensive Player of the Year. Cordeiro received little national recruiting attention compared to his predecessor Tagovailoa, signing with his lone offer to play at Hawaii.
College career
Freshman season (2018)
Cordeiro made his first career start in 2018 against Wyoming, replacing the injured Cole McDonald. He threw 19 of 29 passes for 148 yards, two touchdowns and an interception that was returned for a touchdown in a 17–13 win that saw Hawaii reclaim the Paniolo Trophy. He also appeared in games against Nevada, UNLV, and Louisiana Tech. In his appearance versus UNLV, Cordeiro threw for three touchdowns on four completed passes to lead Hawaii to a 35–28 victory. Down 28–13 in the fourth quarter, Cordeiro came off the bench to replace a struggling McDonald and threw for 153 yards, three touchdowns on 4 of 5 passes. The win was Hawaii's seventh of the season, clinching a bid in the Hawaii Bowl. Cordeiro also appeared in the team's bowl game against Louisiana Tech in an attempt to spark the Hawaii offense, failing to do so as Hawaii scored a season low 14 points in the 31–14 loss. Under the newly changed NCAA redshirt policy, Cordeiro was able to play in four games and redshirt to keep an extra year of eligibility after the 2018 season.
In his redshirt freshman season, Cordeiro appeared in 12 of Hawaii's 15 games. He made his 2019 debut in a nationally televised Week 0 game against Arizona, replacing McDonald who had four interceptions despite throwing for four touchdowns as well. Cordeiro threw for 58 yards and a touchdown as well as rushing for 34 yards. He made his first start of the season against San Jose State, completing 23 of 31 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns, also accounting for 55 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 42–40 win. For his efforts in the win, Cordeiro was named the Mountain West offensive player of the week.
With McDonald departing Hawaii to declare for the 2020 NFL Draft, Cordeiro is currently considered the favorite to win the starting quarterback job for the Rainbow Warriors.
