Defensive Linemen

Stephen Tsai profiles incoming defensive lineman Ray Hisatake. Here are some excerpts with emphasis by me.

"Hawai'i is the place for me," said Hisatake, who is 6 feet 4 and 315 pounds.

...

"This is a big-time 'get' for Hawai'i," said Jeremy Crabtree, national recruiting editor for the Rivals.com scouting service.

...

"He's not perfect," Crabtree added. "He needs to get bigger and faster. But he does have all of the tools. Right now he's still a little bit of a white canvas. But he has the potential to develop into a better player."

Bigger??? In any case, I'm sure coach Reinebold and Glanville, along with Mel DeLaura, will help him develop to his full potential. The UH defensive line is looking good for next year!

There's also good news in the Notes and Updates section at the end of the article.

• UH outside linebacker Brashton Satele, who is recovering from a pulled left hamstring, practiced yesterday and said he expects to play on Sunday.
  
  "It's still a little tight, but it's the last game, so I'm going to go all out," Satele said.


• UH running backs Nate Ilaoa and Reagan Mauia have declared themselves physically fit. Ilaoa was suffering from a bruised left heel, and Mauia has been wearing heavy wrapping on his injured right elbow.

Good to hear there will be a lot of healthy Warriors playing in the Hawaii Bowl!

Dave Reardon and Brian McInnis look at Ikaika Alama-Francis' draft status.

The Hawaii defensive end appeared on draft analyst Mel Kiper's "Big Board" yesterday, at No. 24. That doesn't mean Alama-Francis will be drafted that high (there are still tons of players to be analyzed after the bowl and all-star games and juniors to declare draft eligibility). But Kiper also said he thinks Alama-Francis will be picked in the first two rounds.

An NFL scout who has seen him play several times this year agrees.

"I turned in a second-round grade on him. If he goes to the combine and works out well, I may be too low," the scout said. "He's one of those guys you know what you see. The sky's the limit. He's big (6-6, 285), strong and athletic. And he's only going to get better and better."

This should be awesome news for the Ikaika Alama-Francis Fan Club, which is a really great looking site. And they link to this blog, so thanks to them! Go check out the site.

Reardon and McInnis also talk to incoming defensive lineman Chris Leatigaga.

He said his best football attribute is his intensity.

"Just playing until the whistle. From the snap to the whistle. That's what they emphasize here. Finish the drill, finish the practice. I'm always running, trying to put myself on the screen."

Leatigaga will visit UH next month. He graduates in the spring.

Sounds like he'll be a great fit in the Glanville defense.

Kalani Simpson has some random thoughts and notes about the Hawaii Bowl and other things. Here's one of them.

I continue to get a kick out of the story of Steve Chinen, the rascal Army chaplain stationed in Iraq who is "in trouble" for using his televised holiday greeting to wish the UH football team good luck against Oregon State rather than saying hi to his wife and daughter. (Now that's a fan.)

But I told Steve, eh, no worry. I've seen these "holiday greetings" from Nebraska servicemen and they ALL do what he did. Yes, EVERY one of them goes like this: "Hi, I'm lieutenant So-and-so in Afghanistan and I just want to say Go Big Red! Go Huskers! We're No. 1! And -- oh, try wait, what? My family? Oh, yeah, I also love my family. Sure. Of course I do. Go! Big! Red!"

But when just one "bad boy" does it, it's hilarious.

» And here is Steve's latest on the 657th's plans for the upcoming Hawaii Bowl: "Da boys (and a few gals) are gearing up for the 0400 kickoff (Iraqi time). We'll be meeting at the motor pool (where vehicles get repaired). They got a big-screen TV there." I don't know if the Hawaii Bowl is good for the whole state, but early on Christmas morning, far from home, it's definitely good for a little corner of Camp Anaconda in Iraq.

Great story.

Former Warrior punter Mat McBriar talks about being named to the Pro Bowl.

Returning to Hawai'i — where he was an all-Western Athletic Conference first-team punter in 2002 — makes the experience even more special.

"I'm looking forward to it," McBriar said. "I feel proud that I went to school there and am coming back. Hawai'i football doesn't generate that much attention. Anything that draws attention to it is great."

And here's a Q&A with McBriar by Tom Curran of NBC Sports.

TC: How much of an influence has fellow Aussie and former Chargers punter Darren Bennett had on your career?
MM: He was the first one I called when I found out I made the Pro Bowl. We usually talk a couple of times a week. He's back in San Diego doing radio shows -- he's got a personality quite suited to that. But we have a great friendship. He's my mentor and the reason I got involved in this at all because he's the one who called (University of Hawaii head coach) June Jones for me.