Offensive

Dave Reardon profiles the Warriors' awesome offensive line. Coach McKnight gives some mad individual props to the starters in a sidebar, while an NFL scout and Coach Jones have good things to say as well:

A veteran NFL scout said the group might be the best in college football, and that all three seniors -- Esera, Satele and Uperesa -- will be drafted.

"Texas might be close. But I certainly don't see any better at pass blocking," the scout said.

Coach June Jones has sent five offensive linemen to the NFL in his previous seven seasons at UH. He says this group is the best overall.

"They're physical pass blockers. Normally you think of that as a passive thing," Jones said. "But they're initiators and they're very aggressive in their approach to blocking. And they finish the plays, playing the play longer than the opponent. I think this is the best, going by the way the whole group plays."

Not enough good things can be said about them. And there's not enough pizza Colt can feed them. Their motto should be "Go for broke so Colt goes broke!" That's right.

Stephen Tsai writes about the altitude and cold that the Warriors will need to deal with up in Logan, Utah.

Of greater concern is the combination of cool weather and Logan's elevation (4,400 feet above sea level). Jones said the thin air is "not a factor if you're in good shape, but it is a factor if you're not in good shape."

After practices this week, the Warriors have run several sets of 55-yard sprints. During Monday's sprints, assistant coach Rich Miano, who participated in the workout, repeatedly yelled out: "High altitude."

"I think we're in good shape," Jones said, even offering praise to a past target, 250-pound Ilaoa. "He's been in better shape than he's been in for a year. Hopefully, he'll be able to give everything he has."

Ilaoa said: "I feel good. I'll be all right. For a lot of the first-year guys, it'll be, 'Oh, my, why is it so hard to breathe?' But after a while, everybody should be fine."

Someone who should also be fine is Ikaika Alama-Francis, who declares himself fit to play in the article, which is great news.

And finally, in the breaking news category, Stephen Tsai reports that linebacker Kevin Konrath of Brother Rice High School in Chicago has committed to becoming a Warrior in 2007.

Konrath said he received the initial offer without having met the UH coaches or visiting the campus. He said UH assistant coach Jeff Reinebold found his recruiting video tape on an Internet scouting service.

Reinebold called Konrath's coach.

"My coach asked me, 'Do you want a chance to go Hawai'i?'" Konrath recalled.

"I was like, 'Of course.' It was a chance to go to paradise and play in a good program."

Right on. Congratulations to Kevin and the Warriors.

UPDATE: The Star-Bulletin actually broke the Kevin Konrath story this morning. Here's an excerpt:

“Yes, I’ve committed. I can tell Hawaii’s the right program for me. I like the pro experience of the coaches, the facilities look nice and it looks like a great stadium,” said Konrath, in a phone interview with the Star-Bulletin this morning.

“Hawaii was always definitely at the top of my list. It looks like something special is going on there. They’re tearing everybody up and they’re a program on the rise.”

Konrath is a 6-foot-3, 225-pound middle linebacker who is projected to play outside linebacker or defensive end in college. He is a third-year starter, has won several all-league and all-area honors, and was described as “a monster on defense” in an Oct. 6 Chicago Sun-Times article.