Spring Day 1 Wrap-Ups

Dave Reardon wins the clever opening line award, writing about Bess and RGM practicing at wideout yesterday.

Hawaii football coach June Jones wants Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins to know the Warriors offense inside-out.

That's why the two stars at the inside receiver, or slotback, positions are moving outside this spring and running routes from the wideout posts.

"We want to put Davone and Ryan in some different positions with some different routes. I want them to learn the outside, they know the inside," Jones said after yesterday's first of 15 spring practices. "And it'll give us an opportunity to give the younger guys a lot of reps inside."

...

"We're trying to get everyone to know every position," quarterback Colt Brennan said. "Then if we get into something like we did last year, we can do what we did. And moving guys around creates another threat. Getting Davone on those outside screens, that's going to help."

Opposing defenses are gonna be spinning in circles trying to figure out who's where next year. Excellent. Stephen Tsai writes about the depth of talent in the receiving corps, especially at slot.

Bess and Grice-Mullins will be juniors in the fall, and there is a glut developing at the two slotback positions in the Warriors' four-receiver offense. Michael Washington, Aaron Bain and Jason Ferguson will be juniors, and freshmen Mitch Farney, Eric Shaffer and Rick Taylor are pushing for playing time.

"There have been a couple of guys who have had to sit behind two great slots and watch a lot of football," quarterback Colt Brennan said. "Last year our depth was really on the outside receivers. We moved those guys inside when we needed to. I think this year is going to be the opposite. Our depth is really on the inside. We'll move a few guys when we need to, and keep everybody rolling."

In the same article, Tsai writes about the developments going on regarding the switch from 3-4 to 4-3.

During the meeting, it was announced that Solomon Elimimian will remain at middle linebacker while Adam Leonard, who led the Warriors with 115 tackles last season, would move to weak-side linebacker. Blaze Soares is the top contender at strong-side linebacker.

"It's another opportunity to learn, gain more experience, and get another viewpoint at linebacker," Leonard said of the switch from inside linebacker.

He said he will have to learn different techniques and reads. But "overall," he said, "it's a good opportunity to make plays."

The talk is George Lumpkin, who coached outside linebackers last season, will be in charge of the defensive ends this season. If the move materializes, as expected, Cal Lee, who coached the inside linebackers last year, would coordinate all of the linebackers this year. In the 3-4, the outside linebackers often blitz; in the 4-3, the defensive ends pass rush. The switch should be seamless for Lumpkin.

Tsai also does a great mini-profile on Clarence Lafu Tuioti-Mariner, who is poised to become the starting center for the Warriors, but that's enough excerpting from that article. You can read it here.

And finally, Dave Reardon writes about the job of trying to replace Dane Uperesa, Samson Satele and Tala Esera along the O-line.

Sophomore left tackle Aaron Kia and center Lafu Tuioti-Mariner and right tackle Keoni Steinhoff, both juniors, got the first look as potential replacements as spring practice started yesterday.

"I think they handled (the first practice as first stringers) like true champions," offensive line coach Dennis McKnight said. "Everybody knows what great players those three seniors were. But everybody wants to leave their own mark and place their name."

Junior Keith Ah-Soon and sophomore Laupepa Letuli are also strong candidates to join returning starters Hercules Satele and John Estes.

"They all have great pride as competitors," McKnight said. "I love their attitude. I don't think the hardest thing is replacing the three, the hardest thing is picking the right three, because there's so many who can do the job."

That's really good to hear!