Lolotai Commits

UPDATE: Updating one of the stories below, Stephen Tsai writes that Robert Marve turned down UH today.

Robert Marve of Plant High School in Tampa has turned down a scholarship offer from UH. He notified the UH coaches this morning.
He cited the distance as the major obstacle.

So somebody has to invent one of those teleportation machines, stat! Anyway, it would've been nice to get Marve, but we still got Graunke, Kepo'o, Brogan and Funaki. Thanks Stephen for the heads up.

Stephen Tsai writes that Mana Lolotai will become a Warrior.

Ending all doubts, former Kamehameha Schools linebacker Mana Lolotai yesterday formally accepted a University of Hawai'i football scholarship.

"I made it official," Lolotai said. "I wanted to make the best decision for me and my family. Staying home is a plus for me. My family is here, and the football program is very good. I'm happy with my decision."

Lolotai, who was named to The Advertiser's 2005 All-State second team, signed a letter of intent with Oregon State in February 2006. But he did not meet the requirements to play for the Beavers last season.

He said he is attending Hawai'i Pacific University, where he will earn enough credits to transfer to UH in the fall.

Hey, a local player chose UH instead of the Beavers. Let's hope this streak continues! Congratulations to Mana and UH.

Speaking of recruits, today's the day highly regarded QB prospect Robert Marve from Tampa makes his announcement on whether he'll go to Miami, Bama or HAWAI'I. Most think he'll stay with his home state and sign with Miami, but like Stephen Tsai said earlier, and I'm paraphrasing here, STILL GET CHANCE! We'll find out later today.

The Warrior Beat also hosted a live chat with Adam Leonard on Monday. You can read his answers among the 380 comments. Holy crap. No worries, they're all at the beginning, I think.

And yesterday, Stephen Tsai had a Warrior Beat post giving us an update on C.J. Hawthorne.

C.J. Hawthorne confirmed he is moving back to right wideout, competing for the spot vacated by Ian Sample, who graduated in December.
Hawthorne joined the Warriors in January 2006, and competed in spring practice — as a wideout for 10 days and cornerback for five. He started UH's first two games at cornerback last year.
While remaining as a valuable special-teams member, Hawthorne slipped on the depth chart at cornerback. By the end of the season, Gerard Lewis and Myron Newberry were the starting corners.
Hawthorne said wideout is "my most comfortable position." He said the switch back was by mutal agreement.
Malcolm Lane, Greg Salas and Dylan Linkner are the other top candidates at right wideout.

We'll miss Ross Dickerson, Ian Sample and Chad Mock, but man, the UH receiving corps will still be unbelievable next this year!

And below are some Warrior football videos that have been posted online recently. The always awesome Sportshawaii.com is hosting two versions of the Warriors doing the haka during the halftime of Monday's UH basketball game. Here are the links. The second link looks better but you may need a codec.

mpeg1 version - 320x240 20fps

xvid version - 640x480 15fps

And here's a video of Nasti Nate Ilaoa video highlights as put together by Kapoleicoug.



And finally, here's a video edited together by chasethedragon for the Michigan State fans and (former) coaches who are still whining that MSU got cheated by the refs in 2004. It's 8 minutes long, but it's excellent. Enjoy.

Lookahead

Collegefootballnews.com does a "preseason lookahead" for the WAC. Hawaii is the top ranked team at 36th in the nation, with Boise just behind at 37. Here's an excerpt:

36. Hawaii 2006 Record: 11-3
Why to get excited: Colt Brennan isn't going to be playing for the Detroit Lions this year, or the Houston Texans, or the Oakland Raiders, or any other NFL team. He's going to be a Heisman front-runner and should assault the record books with his top three wide receivers returning. Davone Bess, Jason Rivers, and Ryan Grice-Mullen might be the nation's best trio and should go ballistic. Seven players are back on the defensive back eight.
Why to be grouchy: Three starters are gone off the offensive line, but the big hole is left by 254-pound RB Nate Ilaoa, who was a pounding runner and a fantastic receiver. Defensive ends Melila Purcell and Ikaika Alama-Francis will be missed, as will offensive tackles Tala Esera and Dane Uperesa.
The number one thing to work on is: Penalties. The Warriors were 112th in the nation committing 7.36 sins per game. The secondary could stand to be much tighter after giving up 242 yards per game, but that was because teams bombed away to try to keep up in shootouts. A few more third down defensive stops could mean the difference between a battle and a blowout considering the offense will put up points in bunches.
Biggest offensive loss: RB Nate Ilaoa
Biggest defensive loss: DE Melila Purcell

Sounds about right. But June has said that the offensive line will be fine, with a lot of the backups from last year as good as the starters.

And in the great marketing ideas department, via a Sportshawaii.com thread, here's your chance to get the Warriors on the cover of your copy of Athlon's 2007 College Football Preview magazine.

Haven't seen your school on an Athlon football cover lately? Or ever? Tired of sharing a cover with your hated rival? Well here's your chance to get a cover for your school with the Athlon Sports Limited Edition Covers program, just fill out the petition below. Be sure to include your name, a valid e-mail address and select the school you want to see on its own Athlon Sports cover.

You can help get students, alumni and staff to sign the petition. Keep track of the number of sign-ups by selecting your school below and viewing the thermometer graph. Once your school gets 1,000 sign-ups (deadline for sign-ups is March 15, 2007), we'll notify all your school's petitioners to purchase their magazine for $6.99 (must have a total minimum quantity of 1,000). Then get ready to enjoy your magazine! You may also download the cover to use as wallpaper, a screen saver or to add to your school memorabilia!

Clever bastards. I'm already getting ready to buy a copy of something I wouldn't normally buy. So vote today!

Recruiting Weekend

A lot of prospects are visiting UH this weekend. Among them is Kaniela Tuipolotu, a highly regarded/recruited defensive lineman from Kahuku, as well as Robert Marve, a highly regarded/recruited QB from Plant HS in Florida. In a sidebar to a Paul Honda local recruiting story, Dave Reardon discusses them.

The highest profile player among them is Plant quarterback Robert Marve, who is the second coming of Brett Favre or Drew Brees, depending on what message board you read. Also, depending on your "source," Marve is either A) leaning toward Miami, but seriously considering UH, B) trying to get his teammates offers from the Warriors, or C) merely taking a vacation in Hawaii with his buds. Based on Marve's published comments, and not second or third hand anonymous cyber-babble, he is here with an open mind, although the Hurricanes have the lead.

...

Kahuku DT Kaniela Tuipulotu is the local star of the current visitors. Things got tougher for UH with him as USC started to sniff around late last week.

Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat post from today discusses Marve as well.

It's crazy to imagine, but the Warriors actually have a chance — not the greatest, but a chance — at landing quarterback Robert Marve of Plant High.
Miami, which hosted Marve last weekend, has the lead, of course. But people familiar with the situation said Marve, who was named Florida's Mr. Football, is intrigued with the Warriors' prolific four-wide passing offense. Miami's head coach is a former defensive coordinator.
Also, Marve's mother is on the trip, and UH historically does well when parents accompany their sons.
Marve probably won't announce a decision for another week.

Sounds like things are going well. Read the rest of Stephen's post for an aspect of the UH recruiting process. Good luck to the coaches and players, hopefully there's some good news for Warrior fans this week!

Erik Ainge Gives Props to Colt

One of Colt's '07 Heisman rivals implies he's not jealous of Colt, but I think he is!

Ainge actually had the chance to play for Hawaii but declined.

``Coach Jones knows my family pretty well and he recruited me hard to go there,’’ Ainge said. ``Obviously, throwing 50 times a game would be awesome, but I don’t think you can throw it 50 times a game in the SEC.’’

I think Colt only threw 50 times in a game once this past season. His average was 39.9 attempts per game. But anyway...

Still, Ainge couldn’t help but notice Brennan passing for an NCAA-record 58 touchdowns to go with over 5,900 total yards – an average of 425 per game. Ainge averaged 249 passing yards per game and fired 19 touchdown passes.

``I did that kind of stuff in high school,’’ Ainge said of the Hawaii offense.

``What Colt did was unbelievable -- 559 yards and five touchdowns in one (bowl) game. Five (touchdowns) in the second half. That’s amazing.’’

Did Ainge watch with envy?

``Stats are fun and all that, but getting to play in the Outback Bowl and getting a chance to play on national TV every single week and playing against the players we play against in SEC – I’m not saying anything about Hawaii or who they play against,’’ Ainge said. ``Don’t take that the wrong way.

No no no, please don't take it the wrong way. He does have a point about the national TV and the SEC and all that, but I still think he's jealous. 19 touchdown passes? What is that?

I'm just kidding Erik. Hope he does well this coming year, but I have a feeling a lot of Hawaii's games will be on national TV this year, and Erik will be watching them, trying not to drool. :D

Getting Ready for the Draft

Stephen Tsai writes that Ikaika Alama-Francis is recovering well from his pectoral injury.

Two weeks ago, Alama-Francis suffered a torn right pectoral muscle during the Hula Bowl. He underwent surgery in San Francisco last week, and has started a rehabilitation program in Hawai'i.

"It was something that happened," said Alama-Francis, a defensive end. "My chest just gave out."

Such an injury could have necessitated a recovery period of up to six months. But Alama-Francis said the San Francisco-based surgeon "really took care of me. He's one of the best in the country."

Alama-Francis promised: "I will make the combine. I'll participate in it."

Really good to hear.

Dave Reardon writes about Samson Satele's progress in Senior Bowl workouts.

"He's having an unbelievable week," said Satele's agent, Leo Goeas. Goeas might be biased for more than the obvious reason -- he, too, played offensive line at UH.

But a scout said Satele, like everyone else, has had his good reps and his bad reps. That's how it is for even the bluest of chips competing for draft position. The difference is Satele has improved as the week has gone by, the scout said.

Satele has been playing center and guard in practice.

"They're having me split the reps. It's good that I can play both," Satele said. "It's fun. Felt like three games in a row. I love the contact and tempo of the practice. There are some good players over here."

Good luck to Samson, Ikaika, Nate, Tala, Dane, Leonard and Melila.

Kauwalu and Lesu Commit

Stephen Tsai writes that Waianae linebacker George Kauwalu and Farrington receiver/safety Elijah Lesu have committed to the Warriors.

Kauwalu, who is 6 feet 1 and 210 pounds, can run 40 yards in 4.6 seconds. He also is a track sprinter. He said he has been a UH fan for several years.

"I always wanted to play for Hawai'i," Kauwalu said. "That was my plan."

Wai'anae defensive coordinator Jason Hussey said Kauwalu is "one of the best I've ever coached. He's very good in pass coverage. He's very instinctive, very intelligent. He's not just a great player, he's a great person."

...

Lesu was named to The Advertiser's first team as an all-purpose player. He also was the O'ahu Interscholastic Association's 2006 Offensive Player of the Year.

"I wanted to stay home and play in front of my family," said Lesu, who likely will compete at safety for the Warriors.

Right on! Sounds like UH got two more great players. Congratulations to George and Elijah!

On yesterday's Warrior Beat post, Stephen Tsai had a post about Jerry Glanville, who sounds like he's sticking around!

In as vague a way as possible, Jerry Glanville appears set on returning for a third year as UH's defensive coordinator.
'You're there until you're not there," said Glanville, who's still "there."
Glanville said the plans for spring practice and training camp are to rebuild the aggressive attitude on defense.
"The one thing I've learned is you don't start up where you left off," Glanville said. "By the end of last year, we hustled more than any team in America. That's not guaranteed when you go into spring (practice). If you think that, you might end up like (last year's Super Bowl champion) Pittsburgh Steelers — out of the playoffs this year."

Fantastic! BTW, there are 259 comments on that post as of right now. Holy crap.

And finally, looks like you can cross Wisconsin off the list of possible 2007 opponents.

Meanwhile, a UW official confirmed officials from Hawaii recently inquired about scheduling a game with the Badgers next season in Hawaii.

Hawaii was scheduled to host Michigan State but that game fell through and UW still has an open date for 2007.

According to associate athletic director Vince Sweeney, UW officials declined the offer. The Badgers already play at Nevada-Las Vegas next season, a popular trip, and are scheduled to play at Hawaii in 2009.

Good to hear UH is going after some great teams. Can't wait for the full schedule to be announced!

More on Korey Reynolds

Stephen Tsai talks to Hoover High defensive end Korey Reynolds, who has committed to Hawaii.

"I love the program, and I'm excited to become a Warrior," said Korey Reynolds of Alabama's Hoover High.

Reynolds, who is 6 feet 3 and 250 pounds, turned down offers from Illinois and Southern Mississippi. Last month, he withdrew a verbal commitment he made to Houston.

"Houston wasn't the college atmosphere I was looking for," Reynolds said. "Hawai'i is the right place for me."

Accompanied by his mother, Mary, Reynolds visited UH this past weekend.

"The visit was great," Reynolds said. "It's a great program. The distance didn't bother me. It bothered my parents a little bit, with me going all the way out to Hawai'i. That just means they won't see as many games as they usually would. They'll make most of the Mainland games."

Houston must not like us. First we got the same UH initials, then they like beef at the Hawaii Bowl, then Klingler's record falls to Colt, now Korey decommits from them only to end up with us. Next, Linda Lingle's gonna beat Texas governor Rick Perry in a cage match. You watch.

And Ferd Lewis has an interesting story about one aspect of the Warriors' recruiting process this year.

And coming off an 11-3 season, No. 24 national ranking and record-setting offense, the parcels are pouring in. FedEx and UPS know the way to Manoa by heart and assistant coach Ron Lee's office looks like a stock room at Blockbuster or Netflix.

Whereas in most years coaches they say they might get 100 to 150 tapes and such from prospective quarterbacks and a similar amount from receivers, this year the numbers are already well over 300 at both positions with more coming in advance of the Feb. 7 national signing day, the first date that high school seniors can sign binding commitments.

So much so that Lee's third-floor office at UH has four stacks of video cassettes on a file cabinet and four cardboard boxes of them on the floor. One year Morrison said he figured UH heard from at least one player from 75 percent of the states and Canada. This year he figures it is a lot more — but has been under such a stack that he hasn't had time to total them up.

"I attribute most of it to the year that Colt had, the games we had on TV late in the season, how prolific the offense was," Morrison said. As Lee said, "if you were a high school receiver or quarterback and you saw us on TV, where would you want to go?"

Let's hope this is just the start of the avalanche!

Korey Reynolds Commits

Stephen Tsai writes that Hoover High School defensive end Korey Reynolds has committed to becoming a Warrior!

Defensive end Korey Reynolds of Hoover High School in Alabama has accepted a football scholarship offer from the University of Hawai'i.

"I love the program, and I'm excited to become a Warrior," Reynolds said.

Reynolds, who is 6-feet-3 and 250 pounds, is projected to compete at defensive end.

Excellent news. Warrior defense gonna be a monster!

Ostrowski, Legay, Colt for Heisman

Wes Nakama talks to Miah Ostrowski about committing to UH and trying to pull double duty.

Ostrowski said Warriors coach June Jones has given him the OK to pursue both sports, although any basketball opportunity will be determined by whoever succeeds retiring Hawai'i hoops coach Riley Wallace.

"(Jones) is the one who told me I should try to play both," Ostrowski said. "Hopefully I can do both."

Ostrowski and former 'Iolani standout Derrick Low are believed to be the only basketball players in Hawai'i high school history to win first-team All-State honors as a freshman, sophomore and junior. In football, Ostrowski led the state this past season with 81 catches for 1,313 yards, including 10 touchdowns.

Paul Honda also talks to Ostrowski.

The two-sport standout called UH assistant coach Rich Miano with his decision yesterday at 8:30 a.m. The decision made sense long ago for Ostrowski, but he was patient.

"I didn't want to push too early a decision," he said.

Basketball is still his first love. The two-time All-State selection hopes to walk on as a freshman at UH, depending on whether next year's new coach will allow him to try out. Ostrowski already has the support of Jones, who likes two-sport athletes.

"I didn't talk to Coach Jones yet about everything, but from what we talked about before, I'm probably gonna redshirt my first year," Ostrowski said of football.

Ostrowski and Gabe Tuata are gonna be an awesome slot tandem in the coming years! Honda also talks to Tuata's Kealakehe teammate and recent commit Levi Legay.

"They really welcomed me there," said the 6-3, 270-pound Legay about the visit last weekend. "It's really a great football team and it will be great to be a part of that. It's a close-knit team. One big family over there."

Legay played center and tackle for the Waveriders and is projected as a center for the Warriors. He also said it's possible he may play guard.

"He's very intelligent and has good balance, good feet and a nice center of gravity," said Sam Papalii, who coached Legay at Kealakehe for three years. "He has all the intangibles and a bright future. He's the kind of guy you want to be making the calls for you. He gets good grades and that's why Stanford was recruiting him for a while."

And finally, UH will get an early start on promoting Colt for Heisman, among other things.

The University of Hawai'i has vowed to get behind returning quarterback Colt Brennan's push for postseason honors with, "a campaign where we're going to try and pull out all the stops."

John McNamara, UH associate athletic director, said the athletic department "will use every resource that we have available" to get out the word on Brennan not only for the 2007 Heisman Trophy but other awards.

...

McNamara said UH will pull together its various partners, "in a comprehensive effort that makes sense for us." He said a budget hasn't been assigned, but the campaign would be run, "in such a way that we're going to put together a smart campaign, not just an expensive campaign."

McNamara said, "The lion's share of getting Colt's Heisman campaign rolling has been done by Colt" with his record-setting junior year. With last season's late takeoff by Brennan, "I think we garnered an awful lot of attention in a short period of time, so this is going to be a real luxury to have this many months to plan and get started.

"This (campaign) will be out there helping Colt, but everybody's going to win, the state, the city and the university. That's why we what to make sure we put our best foot forward."

Colt vs Colt Sports Illustrated cover! Come on guys! Make it happen!

UPDATE: Here's an updated link for Coach Jeff Reinebold's chat on The Warrior Beat.

Ostrowski Commits

The Advertiser writes that Punahou receiver Miah Ostrowski will become a Warrior.

Miah Ostrowski, an All-State receiver from Punahou School, has accepted a scholarship from the University of Hawai'i football team.

Ostrowski led the state in receiving this past season. He also was an All-State basketball player.

Good news! More details tomorrow, I'm sure.

Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat will have recruiter extraordinaire Coach Jeff Reinebold as tomorrow's guest blogger. Be there!

Tala Esera impressed at the East West Shrine Game.

Tala Esera, offensive lineman, Hawaii – The West offensive line featured a few strong performances, and Esera led the way. His nimble footwork helped set him apart from the other interior linemen being evaluated.

It's too bad Ikaika couldn't have been there.

And finally, John Walters of NBCSports.com writes about all the bowl games he went to in his "Bowlnanza" road trip, including the Hawaii Bowl.

This one's a lei-up. What the Hawaii Bowl does best is embrace its cultural and tropical backdrop. Coaches from both sides donned Hawaiian shirts (except for UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, who wore his customary black) and the halftime show featured Polynesian dancers. And when the Hawaii players do the Haka dance at midfield afterward? Goosebumps.

The Mo' Mane Defense: Remember that shampoo commercial that went "and she told two friends…and so on…and so on…and so on"? That's what Hawaii's roster looks like. From behind, half the team looks like the lead singer from Soundgarden.

In other words, they had an even better second half than Texas Tech: Hawaii, which led the nation in offensive touchdowns entering the game with 84 (2nd-most was Louisville with 58), was held to three points in the first half. In the second half Colt Brennan threw five touchdown passes on the way to a 559-yard passing evening.

Levi Legay Also Commits

Following up on yesterday's story about Ryan Mouton and Matagisila Lefiti committing to UH, Stephen Tsai writes that Kealakehe HS offensive lineman Levi Legay will also become a Warrior.

Until December, no Kealakehe player had ever received a UH football scholarship. Now there are two, with Legay following his best friend, running back Gabe Tuata. "I think he's more excited than I am," Legay said.

Legay, who is 6 feet 3 and 270 pounds, will play center or guard. He turned down a Stanford offer.

"(UH) is close to home," Legay said. "I feel I'm right for that school. It's a good school. The offense is great. The school is on its way up. It's a good place to play. Everyone is really close up there. The coaches are really great."

Legay, who was raised in Lakewood, Calif., moved to the Big Island four years ago after his father accepted a job in the charter-fishing industry.

Legay, who often works with his father in deep-sea fishing, once caught a 500-pound marlin.

He competes in the shot put and discus. He also plays for Kealakehe's jazz band.

Sounds like he's smart and strong. Stanford? 500 pound marlin? Jazz band? Cool. Congratulations to Levi and to UH! From the same article, Mouton's coach as well as Scout.com have high praise for him.

"I'm just so happy to be part of the Warrior family," Mouton told The Advertiser. "I thought Hawai'i had a great atmosphere, and I wanted to be a part of it."

Blinn offensive coordinator Mike Nesbitt praised Mouton as "a phenomenal athlete. He's one of the fastest players I've been around coaching-wise. He's a great corner with NFL-type skills."

Nesbitt said he timed Mouton running 40 yards in 4.28 seconds. Nesbitt said "4.31 is the slowest I've ever seen him run a 40."

Mouton, who is 5 feet 9 and 180 pounds, was named to the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association All-America team. He was chosen the most outstanding defensive player for Blinn, which went 12-0 this season and was named JC Grid-Wire's national champion.

Scout.com gave Mouton a 4-star rating. "He'll be able to step in there and be a difference guy," said Kevin Lustgarten, publisher of JCFootball.com, which rates players for Scout.com. "He'll be an all-conference guy, if not this year, then the year after that."

Woo hoo! UH can thank Jake Patek and Coach Reinebold for showing him what UH is all about.

Mouton will be reunited with UH strong safety Jake Patek, a former Blinn linebacker. Defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold recruited both players.

"Coach Reinebold has done a good job recruiting the Texas JCs," Nesbitt said.

Dave Reardon also writes about Lefiti and Mouton and has the scoops on another possible commit.

Korey Reynolds left Hawaii yesterday, but there's a good chance he'll be back.

"Hawaii's definitely at the top of my list," the 6-foot-3, 250-pound defensive lineman said in a telephone interview from Honolulu International Airport after his recruiting visit with the UH football team.

...

"I really like it here," Reynolds said about UH. "They make you feel like you're part of their family. That's the impression I get from interaction with the players.

"I'll be going back to Alabama and talk it over with my family."

Nice to hear the nice things being said about UH. Team's gonna be awesome in '07!

Mouton and Lefiti Commit

Stephen Tsai writes that JC All-American corner Ryan Mouton and Mater Dei HS offensive/defensive lineman Matagisila Lefiti have committed to the Warriors.

Mouton was named to the 2006 National Junior College Athletic Association's All-America team.

Mouton, who is 5 feet 9 and 180 pounds, has been electronically timed at sprinting 40 yards in 4.28 and 4.33 seconds. Three times, he was hand-timed at running the distance in under 4.3 seconds.

Mouton chose the Warriors over Utah, Iowa State and Boise State.

Also, Matagasila Lefiti, a lineman for Mater Dei High School in California, told The Advertiser he has accepted a scholarship offer from the Warriors.

Lefiti played on both the offensive and defensive lines at Mater Dei. He said he has not decided which position he will play at UH.

Mater Dei is quarterback Colt Brennan's alma mater.

Right on! Glad both of them decided to become Warriors. Mouton comes from Jacob Patek's JC, Blinn College. Stephen Tsai had previously written that Patek had gotten Mouton interested in UH.

Patek is being credited for 3-star cornerback Ryan Mouton's interest in UH. Patek and Mouton were teammates at Blinn College in Texas in 2005.
"He's been talking a lot about Hawai‘i," Mouton said.
Mouton said he watched the telecast of UH's victory in the Sheraton Hawai‘i Bowl, and he speaks often with Patek, who is spending the holiday break in Texas.

Give it up to Jacob!

And earlier today, Ferd Lewis gave it up to Tyler Graunke.

By making the tougher choice instead of seeking the easy exit, Graunke reinforced a lot of what UH saw in him early on.

"Tyler is a competitor," said UH assistant coach Dan Morrison. "We liked that about him from the beginning."

You have to like his feistiness, too. As Graunke told Stephen Tsai's blog in the event Brennan chose to come back: "I want to try to give him (Brennan) a little scare, even through he's probably coach Jones' favorite right now and Hawai'i's favorite, everybody's favorite."

Graunke grasps the sense of family and core value of unselfishness that made the Warriors special last season. He understands he has a role to play, and that by playing it he makes the Warriors better.

When Graunke arrived at UH, he was one of three freshmen and seven overall QB candidates. One by one they have left. That Graunke will still be here, even in the wake of this setback, says the Warriors have a couple winners at quarterback, even if only one can be the starter.

Well said. Graunke is just gonna explode right out of the gate his senior season. Until then, I hope he'll be playing in a lot of 4th quarters in 2007!

Saturday Night Speculation

Just in case, someone needs to hide Jerry Glanville's phone.

Brad Wright spent less than 48 hours as the interim head coach at Texas State. On Saturday afternoon, he reportedly dropped the interim from his title and became the 15th head football coach in school history.

...

A slew of candidates reportedly made themselves available for the position at Texas State including Hawaii defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, formerly the head coach for the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and Houston Oilers.

Now the key word is "reportedly" which could mean practically anything. But this is the second Texas college in the past couple months that Glanville has been rumored to be in contact with. Here's what Jerry told Dave Reardon back in November, addressing the then North Texas rumors:

No one expects Glanville to stay at UH forever, but he seems more comfortable now than last year, his first at Hawaii. Yesterday he clearly indicated he's in no hurry to leave his post as Warriors defensive coordinator.

"I may move (soon)," Glanville said. "But not past Diamond Head."

He said he will be automatically linked to any job in Texas.

"That's just Internet chatter," Glanville added. "I have not spoken one word to anyone. People will always speculate."

So there you go, nothing to see here. Say no more, say no more.

But while I'm here, let me just say that I, along with a bunch of other UH fans, think the Warrior defense is gonna be amazing this year. It'll be a hard-hitting, run-stuffing, quarterback-hurrying, fumble-causing, poi-pounding, fear-striking, incontinence-inducing WAVE OF DESTRUCTION! -- one of the best Warrior defenses in the history of UH! And none of this would've been possible without Jerry Glanville's genious mind and his San Shi Defense. I just think he would want to stick around this year to witness the spectacular results of all his hard work! It's gonna be a great season! Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!

Huskies v Warriors

Stephen Tsai gets some reactions to the news that the Warriors will host the Huskies.

"That's awesome," UH quarterback Colt Brennan said. "I can't wait. I'm glad we've got a big-name school on our schedule. Hopefully, they'll have a good year, and by the end of the year it'll be a good matchup. Either way, it's going to draw a lot of attention, and I'm definitely excited. I've got a lot of respect for Washington and (its) program. I can't wait to play."

...

The game will have added meaning for a future Warrior. Running back Leon Jackson, who will join the Warriors this summer, said he looks forward to playing against his hometown team.

"I'm going to be psyched up for that game," said Jackson, who was a USA Today Super 25 Player as a Pasco High School senior in 2004.

Jackson played at Nebraska as a freshman in 2005. He is attending a junior college in Washington this semester.

Inside linebacker Adam Leonard, a Seattle resident who led the Warriors with 114 tackles last season, said he did not receive a scholarship offer from the Huskies. Leonard was a highly recruited prospect before suffering a torn knee ligament during his senior season in 2004.

"I wasn't good enough to play for U-Dub, I guess," Leonard said. "With the coaching change, they let me slip away. By the time (Ty Willingham) got there, they were basically done with recruiting. They didn't have a scholarship. I don't think they looked at me."

I'm already looking forward to December 1st. The Manimal and Action Jackson gonna have HUGE games! Colt, however will have an average game, 400 yards, 5 touchdowns, whatevers. I'm so glad he's coming back that I'm already taking him for granted.

Dave Reardon also writes about the game and discusses other possible matchups in 07.

That leaves two more openings on the Warriors' nonconference schedule. Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier said they will be Division I, and is leaning toward home games after Brennan announced Wednesday he will return for his senior season rather than go pro.

"Anytime we can be home it's a big advantage. It helps us a lot," Brennan said. "I prefer to be home, but I also don't mind playing at great venues like we have at Michigan State and Alabama."

A big road victory could move the Warriors up in the rankings. There also has been some informal talk about a game at Louisville that would match Brennan against Cardinals quarterback Brian Brohm, also a Heisman candidate.

Louisville on the road, and as Tsai mentions in his article, possibly USC to open up the season, would be an incredibly tough, yet awesome schedule. We'll see how it goes. Reardon also has a side graphic that lists UH future OOC opponents through 2011. Let's hope none of the teams will panty out like Michigan State did. Anyway, with apologies and also thanks to Reardon, I'm gonna "borrow" the info from that graphic and put it on the right column of this blog, especially since the nationalchamps.net link I have up doesn't have everything yet.

Here's an excerpt from a Seattle Times article by Bob Condotta.

Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham turned down a chance for the Huskies to play at Hawaii to end the 2006 regular season, saying he thought UW wouldn't need the extra game because it would be playing in a bowl.

Friday, the Huskies announced they have reached a tentative agreement to end the 2007 regular season at Hawaii, with a game scheduled for Dec. 1 the week after the Apple Cup, now set for Nov. 24.

But set aside the cynical assumption — that Willingham thinks the Huskies don't have a bowl in them next season.

The coach instead said he simply thinks UW will be more ready to handle such a game next season.

You know who else should have a HUGE game against the Huskies? Malcolm Lane! UH has Tyrone Willingham to thank for hooking up Coach Jeff Reinebold with Lane's prep highlight DVD.

“I contacted all the big schools — Washington, Nebraska, schools like that,” said Lane, who sent out DVDs showcasing his abilities. “They said they liked what they saw, but that they had already used up all their scholarships.”

However, Dan Miles, a Hohenfels-based coach for Team USA Football, used his connection with University of Washington coach Tyrone Willingham to get a copy of Lane’s DVD into the coach’s hands, Lane said. Although Willingham had already used his scholarships, Lane said, he passed the DVD on to Jeff Reinebold, an assistant at Hawaii.

Reinebold was impressed.

“I looked at the tape and thought, ‘This is a no-brainer,’” Reinebold said in a story in Tuesday’s electronic edition of the Honolulu Advertiser. “If he’s as fast as he looked on tape, we had a great prospect.”

Lane will have the offense down pat by next year, especially by the time December rolls around. Oh, and even though it's an old article, give a hand to Jeff Reinebold again!

Warriors to Play Huskies

Stephen Tsai with the news.

The University of Hawaii will host the University of Washington Dec. 1 at Aloha Stadium, head coach June Jones confirmed today.
Jones said he learned of the game after a morning meeting with athletic director Herman Frazier.

The game will serve as the regular-season finale for the Warriors.

That leaves UH with two openings in the 2007 schedule.

Star-Bulletin with more details.

“We are very pleased that Washington has agreed to a home-and-home series with our football team,” UH athletic director Herman Frazier said. “The Huskies are a national-caliber opponent from a BCS conference and they are a great addition to our 2007 home football schedule for our players and our fans.”


The game will mark the third meeting between the Warriors and Huskies. The series is tied at 1-1 with the Warriors pulling out a 10-7 road win on Sept. 15, 1973. The win is considered the biggest upset in UH history after the Huskies were favored by as many as 50 points.


“We’re very excited about playing a quality Pac-10 team like Washington at home this season,” June Jones, UH head coach, said. “Tyrone Willingham is a first-class coach and person and he’ll have a very competitive team next season, so we’ll need to be ready. In regards to the rest of the schedule, I know Herman has some exciting things in the works, so it will be great to see it all come together.”


The teams will also play each other at Washington on a future unannounced date.


“Hawai‘i has a much-respected program under the direction of June Jones and returns an outstanding quarterback in Colt Brennan,” Tyrone Willingham, UW head coach, said. “Hawai‘i will present a great challenge for us and I think, as our program continues to develop, we should be well prepared for the opportunity to play them.”

Right on. Let's hope the Huskies come in improved and with a winning record. Slowly but surely...

The Graunke

Tyler Graunke talks to Stephen Tsai about Colt Brennan's return.

Graunke yesterday emphasized that Brennan is one of his best friends. "We're going to do our best to win," Graunke said. "If our best chance is with Colt, that's the way it is."

Still, Graunke could not mask the disappointment over his situation — not Brennan's decision — that impacts his immediate football future.

"It hurt, to be honest with you, it hurt my heart," Graunke said.

In recent weeks, when Brennan said he was 50-50 between applying for the 2007 National Football League draft and returning to UH, Graunke prepared for both outcomes.

"I thought he was going to go," Graunke said. "When he didn't, it hurt a lot more than I thought it was going to.

"That's just my competitive attitude," Graunke added. "I want to be the guy in there. I've never been a bench warmer (before attending UH). I don't think it's selfish wanting to play. I shouldn't feel guilty for that. Colt has started for two years already. I've got two more years. My future was almost in his hands. He chose to come back. I've got to postpone my dreams for another year. Hopefully, I'll start as a senior."

Graunke said he has no intentions of transferring. He pondered that option — briefly — in 2005, when Brennan transferred to UH.

"If I went somewhere else, I'd probably start at the bottom," Graunke said. "I'd have to learn the system. I know I can help out another team, but there's something special about being here. In the worst-case scenario, I get to to start my senior year."

You gotta feel for him. He's a great player, a great competitor and would do great as a starter for UH. I'm glad he's honest about his feelings and it sounds like he'll be sticking around, ready to jump in at a moment's notice. Ahhh, the Phoenix out of Arizona shall rise in '08!

Ferd Lewis writes about Colt shining that light on the facilities situation.

Indeed, Brennan could have skipped off to the pros and his presence in the NFL would have benefitted UH. He could have written a nice check to his alma mater after draft day and been done with it.

But he chose to return and invest what is most precious right now, a season of his time and effort, in the program.

Now, you'd like to see UH and the community reciprocate by matching that gift and its spirit.

Brennan's father, Terry, suggested UH could start "with putting soap in the locker room and showerheads on the showers." It should be noted he didn't seem to be joking.

What would seem to be this most elementary of requests was a wish of some standing for the Warriors in 2006 and indicative of other, larger concerns. For as the quarterback noted, "if you look around and see these facilities, a lot of the things here at this program are not Division I."

Brennan's return and the goodwill and interest it is already engendering provide a launching point for improvements rarely seen. Ones that should be capitalized upon, not squandered.

He's doing a lot for UH and it looks like he'll leave it a better place than he found it.

Colt News Videos

Here are some video links of news coverage of Colt's announcement.

From KHON.

From KITV. Check out Robert Kekaula's interview with Brennan after the announcement.

From the Advertiser, though I can't get it to work.

From KHNL.

Back in Black

More on Colt coming back!

From Stephen Tsai:

"Colt probably turned down about $25 million," (Coach June) Jones said. "It's a lot of money. It's a huge sacrifice."

Shakti Stream, Brennan's girlfriend, said the money "could buy you your own island. But it can't buy you the experience of Hawai'i."

"Hawai'i's really changed him," she added. "He's really adapted to the culture and the people. He honestly fell in love with everything about Hawai'i. That has a lot to do with why he's coming back."

...

"I think the people here, the life experiences here, are second to none," Jones said. "I believe one day this will be Colt Brennan's home permanently. He was embraced here. People accept him here."

Indeed, Brennan said he felt that way when he returned to California for the holiday break.

"When I got out there, I felt I wasn't a local in my own home anymore," Brennan said, laughing. "I was driving around. I didn't know where things were. I was confused about things. This was the place I grew up. I was thrown off by how fast-paced it was, little stuff like that. I was laughing about it to (Stream). It felt good to get back to Hawai'i."

I can attest to that, having spent a lot of time on the mainland, going back and forth, even still. "Far away and out of touch! People I know, I-" Anyway.

From Dave Reardon:

"We're very proud of what Colt has done," Jones said, "but I'm more proud of how he's handled himself. He has a command about being a quarterback and a leader. It's a very hard decision."

Brennan said he went back and forth before finally making his choice on Tuesday. He postponed his announcement twice and sought Jones' counsel several times.

He asked me, 'Where do you think I'll go?' I told him, and I'll tell you -- I didn't want to before because I didn't want to be the reason he went -- I told him, 'I know what they're going to do. They're going to line up every pass Brady Quinn has thrown, every pass he has thrown, every pass the kid Russell's thrown, every pass the guy Troy Smith has thrown. ... You're going to be the first quarterback taken.'"

If Jones is right, that means Brennan turned down a signing bonus of more than $10 million.

"To make this decision shows a lot about his heart for Hawaii, for the fans, for the people and for his teammates and the school. I think that kind of says it all about Colt Brennan," Jones said.

Offensive lineman Hercules Satele was among those at the news conference. He is one of the more stoic of the Warriors, but he was flooded with positive emotions after Brennan's announcement.

"Relief. Happiness. Excitement. I can't wait for the next season," Satele said. "I kind of heard a lot of rumors and ideas, but I always hoped that he stayed."

Whew!

From Dave Reardon again:

Brennan also said a vision of what UH football can be after he's gone is one of the main reasons he decided to return to Manoa. It's a 4F Plan: He hopes the attention he brings to the Warriors in 2007 translates into fans, funding and facilities in the future.

Basically, he hopes to get Hawaii a step closer to the big time.

"They're not going to change while I'm here," he said of the facilities. "But we have a chance hopefully to get this program in the right direction and get it to that level that we're trying to take it."

Colt Brennan, shining that light. Just amazing. Thanks Colt! The article also has a great picture of a happy Robert Kekaula!

From an initially doubtful Kalani Simpson:

There was no way this would be interesting.

"Colt does have to leave in about 20 minutes," UH sports information director Lois Manin said.

See? Not a good sign.

And then ...

And then he started talking, saying Hawaii and coach June Jones "gave me an opportunity when no one else would." Yeah, yeah, yeah. Standard.

More regular about-to-leave stuff.

And then ...

And then he was talking, and what was he saying? Wow! The guy was almost crying!

And then, it's official -- he's coming back.

Cheers and whistles, from the players. "Ayug," Colt said, the way tough guys say it, when they shrug away just-fallen tears.

And then, he was staying, that smile so wide. The emotion so real. So choked up he needed a second.

"Ayug," he said, clearing the galas, soldiering on. Brightening. Coming alive.

From Ferd Lewis:

Upon returning to campus following the Walter Camp Awards at Yale last week, Brennan said he came to feel what was important to him. "I came back to school here and (as) I was walking around and going to classes, I realized, you know, it is a great opportunity I have just being with these guys. To experience it for one more year means a lot to me."

That it apparently is worth millions says a lot about the man behind the decision and how much he has grown into the position of the Warriors' leader.

2007 will be a great year for UH football!

======

And about that 2007 schedule.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan's announcement to return for his senior season might mean more home games for the Warriors this fall.

Athletic director Herman Frazier said he will look at scheduling eight of UH's 13 regular- season games at home now that the Heisman Trophy candidate has pulled his name out of consideration for the 2007 NFL Draft.

Frazier had previously talked about at least one and possibly two of four remaining unannounced games being on the road.

"That will factor in," Frazier said, when asked about the crowds Brennan could help draw to Aloha Stadium.

Also, Michigan State is officially off the Hawaii football schedule for 2007, Frazier said.

Another source said MSU will pay UH a $250,000 fee for pulling out of the game, but Frazier would not confirm that yesterday.

"I can't talk about that aspect of it, but they will be off the schedule," Frazier said.

...

"ESPN, in conjunction with the WAC, will release (a schedule) in either the first or second week of February," Frazier said. "It will include all of our conference games. We will (release the nonconference schedule) at the same time or earlier."

Sounds like a lot of games will be on the TV next year. Looking forward to the first or second week of February!

======

And finally, more on incoming JC transfer Joshua Leonard.

From Dave Reardon:

Nevada would've been the convenient choice for Josh Leonard. The Reno campus is less than a 2-hour drive away from his family's home in Sacramento.

But the 6-foot-3, 285-pound defensive end from Sierra (Calif.) College decided Hawaii is where he really wants to be, and he accepted a scholarship offer from the Warriors yesterday.

"My only worry was about how far away I would be from home," Leonard said. "But I don't think that's going to be a problem."

Leonard visited UH last weekend and was impressed by the "fan support and the team."

Woo hoo!

Leonard committed to UH before quarterback Colt Brennan announced he would return to the Warriors for his senior season. Leonard said that's a bonus.

"Definitely a plus," he said. "He's a helluva player."

From Stephen Tsai, who writes that Keahi Watson, brother of UH D-lineman Keala Watson, may be joining the Warriors as well:

Leonard said he chose UH because of his future teammates and "how great the fans are. Those were the two biggest factors in my decision."

Leonard can run 40 yards in 4.7 seconds and bench press 475 pounds. He amassed 21 sacks in two years at Sierra.

...

Scout.com gave Leonard a 4-star rating. "That means he will have a big impact his first year," said Kevin Lustgarten, publisher of jcfootball.com, which produces the Scout ratings. "It's like a can't-miss guy."

...

Watson, who is 6 feet 2 and 290 pounds, said he is in the process of securing a release from Saint Francis before contacting UH.

A graduate of Nanakuli High School, Watson said: "I miss home. I went home for winter break, and went to some of Hawai'i's practices. I watched the Hawai'i Bowl. I want to come home."

Watson, who started two games as a freshman last year, will have four years to play three seasons.

Great to have both of them!

GO WARRIORS!!!!

Josh Leonard Commits

Dave Reardon writes that JC All-American defensive lineman Joshua Leonard has committed to becoming a Warrior.

"It came down to the fan support and the team," Leonard said.

The 6-foot-2, 285-pound Sierra (Calif.) College athlete also had offers from Nevada, Wyoming and Florida International.

Leonard's father, Rick, was a college football teammate of UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold at Maine.

Stephen Tsai has more details.

Leonard, who is 6 feet 3 and 285 pounds, visited UH this past weekend. yesterday, he told the UH coaches he would go elsewhere, but changed his mind today.

"I was thinking more about trying to stay close to home," said Leonard, who lives in Sacramento. "But then I decided I wanted to go to a better program, a better team. I got to thinking how good of an opportunity Hawai'i was for me."

Leonard said Colt Brennan's decision to remain at UH was not an influence.

"I found out (about Brennan) after I called up to commit," Leonard said.

Leonard was named to the All-California first team, which is the equivalent of an All-America team. He also was named to the JC Grid-Wire All-America third team. He received a 4-star rating from Scout.com.

He can bench press 475 pounds and run 40 yards in 4.7 seconds.

Sounds like he'll be a great player for UH! Congratulations to Josh and the Warriors.

And just watch Colt Brennan's speech again. The set-up is great. And you know the rest!

Colt's COMING BACK!!!

He just announced it! WARRIORS!!!!!

UPDATE: I don't have a transcript right now, but basically he said he's coming back because he likes the person he's become in Hawaii, he loves Hawaii, the people, his teammates, etc. As for not going to the NFL this year, he says that it doesn't matter where he gets drafted (next year), it only matters what he does after he gets drafted. I'm sure Warrior fans are jumping up and down right now!

UPDATE 2: COLT IS COMING BACK!!!!! Okay, back to work.

UPDATE 3: I can't concentrate on work right now. Here's Dave Reardon's quick wrap-up he must've been typing as it was being spoken.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan said today he will return for his senior season, ending weeks of speculation.

"I've decided to come back for my senior year."


"This was one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make," Brennan said. "I made the decision late last night with Coach (June Jones0 and family and friends."

...

Dozens of teammates stood outside of the Stan Sheriff Center minutes before Brennan's news conference today.


Slotback Mike Washington held a homemade sign that said "1 more year ... or" on one side and "we fly for Ty" on the other, referring to Tyler Graunke, who is next in line to quarterback the Warriors.


"(Brennan's) a friend first and a teammate second," UH receiver Jason Rivers said before the announcement. "We'd like for him to come back. But in the end I hope he makes the right choice for himself."

UPDATE 4: Here's an update to the Advertiser article from below.

"This is one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make," an emotional Brennan said. "I've decided to comeback for my senior year.

"I don't think I prepared myself (for the NFL) yet. I have yet to prepare myself yet physically and mentally... get myself, my mind and my body ready."

Brennan said he came to his decision Tuesday night.

"We have a chance to have an unbelievable football team next season," Brennan said.

UPDATE 5: Here's a link to a video of KITV's coverage of the press conference.

UPDATE 6: Here's the AP article on Brennan's return.

Wearing flip-flops, baggy jean shorts, white dress shirt and a kukui nut lei, the former walk-on made his announcement at a news conference packed with about 100 teammates, coaches and fans.

They cheered wildly when Brennan announced his decision, drawing a tear from the quarterback.

"I like the person I'm becoming in Hawaii. I want to give back to a school that gave back to me," he said.

...

"My future in the NFL will have nothing to do with where I get drafted. It will have everything to do with what I do after I get drafted.," he said.

Brennan said he was told he would be have been picked "extremely, extremely high," and would've fulfilled a lifelong dream of playing pro football, but wanted to continue building on Hawaii's success.

Brennan broke the NCAA single-season touchdown and passing efficiency records last month and led Hawaii to an 11-3 season -- matching the school mark for wins.

His had five TD passes Hawaii's 41-24 victory over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl on Dec. 24. Brennan finished the game with a school-record 559 yards passing.

UPDATE 7: Here's the UH Athletic Dept's article.

"I told Colt that he was going to be the first quarterback drafted in the NFL Draft," Warrior Head Coach June Jones said. "And for him to hear that and still come back says something about his character. I'm so proud of him. He's a great player, but I'm more proud of the way he has handled himself through everything. All the wins and losses, he stayed right there next to his teammates, and that's what it's all about. He understands that this game is not about one person. It's about the guy next to you. I'm obviously glad he is coming back, not just for our team, but for the University and for the entire State."

That should sum it up right there. That should be the last of the updates.

The Advertiser Calls It

For UH!

Colt Brennan, the University of Hawai'i's record-setting quarterback, is expected to announce Wednesday he will return for his senior season, turning down an opportunity to enter the NFL draft.
Brennan filed paperwork with the NFL on Monday, but had 72 hours to change his mind. He is making his announcement this afternoon in a press conference at the Stan Sheriff Center.

The actual announcement is in a few minutes, so nothing's in stone yet! But it's very good news!

Ways to Follow the Colt Brennan Press Conference

Watch it on the TV. KGMB will have it for sure.

Watch the KITV livestream online. Here's a link to a page saying that they're carrying it and here's a link to the Sports page where the actual video link will probably be. UPDATE: Here's the actual link.

Listen to it on 1420 AM, either on the radio or online at SportsRadio1420.com. You have to register first.

Tick tock tick tock!

Reliable Sources

I have a couple of reliable sources who say Colt Brennan will most likely have a press conference today. Whatever he declares, I hope he brings up what he told SI.com's Cory McCartney.

"I think this program has a lot of disadvantages and there's a lot of changes that need to be made, especially with the facilities and how a lot of things are being run," he said. "I think if we keep everybody enthusiastic about next year and we had another big year, it would just do a lot for our program for years to come."

...

"I'm over 200 pounds right now," he said. "I was 190 as a sophomore and for whatever reason they didn't update our program weights this year. My program listed 190, but I'm 200 pounds and I think I could easily get 15 pounds by the combine, maybe even more."

Shine that light Colt! The facilities, coaches offices, soap in the bathrooms, the enthusiam of those who update the rosters, among other things, definitely need some attention / upgrade. Well, the press conference is later today, but already the ever frightful Ferd Lewis sees an omen.

We're not saying that quarterback Colt Brennan is a lock to announce he's leaving the University of Hawai'i early for the National Football League draft today or anything, but ...

Basketball coach Riley Wallace's "retirement" press conference earlier this month was held in the Edwin S.N. Wong Hospitality Suite.

Athletic director Hugh Yoshida's retirement announcement was delivered in the Wong suite.

Baseball coach Les Murakami's retirement announcement came in the Wong suite.

Anybody noticing a pattern here?

And, guess where Brennan's press conference has been rescheduled for this afternoon?

Yup, the place that is coming to be known as UH's departure lounge. Club Bye Bye.

Noooooooo.

Updates later today!

Mock Drafts

As of today, Scott Wright's Draft Countdown has Colt Brennan getting picked 17th overall by Jacksonville in his NFL Mock Draft.

Draftdaddy.com has Colt getting picked 9th overall by Miami in their current mock draft.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day.

Colt Brennan has postponed his announcement until Wednesday.

Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan said he needs another day to decide on his football future, and a news conference scheduled for Tuesday has been moved to Wednesday.

"He needs more time," UH spokeswoman Lois Manin said.

Stephen Tsai says the announcement will be 3:00pm HST. Let the speculation begin once more.

Ikaika, Colt, Graunke

The Advertiser staff writes that Ikaika Alama-Francis will see a specialist in San Francisco to determine the severity of a torn pectoral muscle, an injury he suffered in the Hula Bowl.

Depending on the severity of the injury, his options range from non-surgical rehabilitation to several months of post-surgery recovery.

"That's all speculative," UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "Until you know what the injury is for certain, there's no point in gnashing your teeth or wringing your hands. You don't know."

Reinebold said he is hopeful Alama-Francis will be able to participate in next month's National Football League Scouting Combine.

"It's not a knee (injury), it's not a shoulder, it's a muscle tear," Reinebold said. "To what extent, we don't know. But muscle tears are a lot easier to fix than ligament tears. He's going to do fine. He's got a lot of time before the combine."

Best of luck to Ikaika. The article also gives an update on other pro prospects for the Warriors.

Another former UH defensive end, Melila Purcell III, suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament during the Hula Bowl.

Leo Goeas, Purcell's agent, said the injury was diagnosed as a Grade 1, the mildest of the three grades of sprains.

Purcell, running back Nate Ilaoa, center Samson Satele and right tackle Dane Uperesa are expected to arrive in Houston today to begin two months of training. Satele, Uperesa and Ilaoa also were invited to compete in the NFL combine.

======

Colt Brennan may make his announcement today, or he may not.

"I think I'll have all of the information I need to make a decision" before today's 2 p.m. news conference, Brennan said. "I may end up postponing it one more day. If something presents itself where I need more time, I'll take more time."

Brennan notified the NFL of an intention to apply yesterday — the declaration deadline for college underclassmen — as a way to keep open his options. The NFL allows an applicant 72 hours to rescind.

"I still haven't decided," said Brennan, whose father sent the notarized application to the NFL yesterday morning. "No, not at all. For me, it's completely win-win. I'll have the time of my life whether I go or whether I stay. No doubt."

Brennan said he needed to receive certain "information" before making a decision. He declined to reveal the "information," saying it was "too personal and too private right now."

Hopefully everything will be put to rest this afternoon. I can't stand any more speculation!

Speaking of which, some NFL scouts talk to Dave Reardon and speculate on where Colt might be drafted.

"If I were him I would go back and play (college) one more year," the scout said of Brennan, who was listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds going into last season. "He's a very accurate passer, but he's not very stout and doesn't have a very strong arm. I haven't studied tape on him, but there are probably six or seven (draftable) quarterbacks who I would think are better at this time."

But another scout who has watched him play said Brennan will likely be the third quarterback chosen (behind JaMarcus Russell of LSU and Brady Quinn of Notre Dame), and probably in the first 20 or 25 picks.

"I don't think he'd get to the end of the first round (of the 2007 draft)," he said. "With another good year (at UH) and the team doing well, it could push him up higher, but statistically, how can he get better? What if he throws for 40 touchdowns instead of 58? That's still great, but now might be the time (to turn pro)."

That first guy should lose his scouting job. He hasn't studied tape on Brennan, yet he criticizes him anyway, which leads me to believe, and I'm just speculating here, that he ate what was fed to him by other people who haven't seen Colt play, digested it a bit, and then pulled it out of his ass! Hooahhh!!!

The second scout, and most anybody who has actually seen Brennan play, have great things to say, which, in the end, is bittersweet for Warrior fans! Oh well, looking forward to this afternoon, no matter what Colt decides. If he does leave for the NFL, the Warriors will still be in good hands.

Tyler Graunke came to the University of Hawai'i to replace a record-setting quarterback.

Funny thing is he thought it was going to be Tim Chang, not Colt Brennan.

So, if Brennan announces the intention to leave early for the NFL draft at today's press conference, as many expect, it won't be like the opportunity to step in and lead the Warriors is something that just snuck up on Graunke.

In Graunke's mind, and with his fiercely competitive makeup, he's been the air apparent to the nation's No. 1 passing offense all along. There's just been, as the airlines like to put it, a "slight delay" in the implementation. He's been the future of the Warriors, if only it would just get here.

When Graunke signed with UH in 2004, fresh from setting the state high school single-season passing yardage record in Arizona, he was the apple of head coach June Jones' eye. The feeling was he'd take the controls when Chang, who was a senior, departed. It was why Graunke redshirted while watching Chang polish off the NCAA career passing yardage mark. And why he stayed around as Brennan put down roots and set marks.

The Graunke shall rise like a Phoenix... out of Arizona!

MaxwellPundit Award Winner: Colt Brennan

While we wait to hear if Colt will come back to UH or go to the NFL, let's appreciate him and all that he's done one more time! So without further ado, Colt Brennan is the winner of the 2006-2007 MaxwellPundit College Football Player of the Year Award. I think this is an award given out by a group of writers and bloggers, and they know their stuff. Here's an excerpt from Rakes of Mallow, an unofficial Notre Dame blog, which I believe hosted the competition, starting with quotes from some participating blogs.

Your 2006-2007 MaxwellPundit Award Winner...

1) Colt Brennan, The Island Gunslinger, Hawaii

"I included him in my last list for top-5. And he justified with a spectacular performance against ASU in the Hawaii bowl (passing for 559 yards and 5 TDs). His end of season numbers are just astonishing with over 5,500 yards (almost 10 yards per attempt, a mind boggling 72.6 percent completion, and 58 TDs (12 picks). As I mentioned before he put up these numbers against all kinds of competition including throwing for over 350 yards against a stingy Crimson Tide defense in Alabama. He belongs here. Clearly one of the best players in 2006-07 season." - BruinsNation

"Hawaii dominated its bowl game, as expected, but get this, Brennan had 559 (not a typo!) yards passing in the game. Oh, and five TDs to only one interception. He finished the season with the nation's best passing efficiency (a 72.63 completion percentage), 5,549 yards, and almost double (58 to 32) the number of touchdowns of his closest competition." - RockyTopTalk

"Yes, I know . . . it's just the system. Against Arizona State, though, the island gunslinger hooked up on 33 of his 42 tosses, tallying 559 yards through the air and having a five-to-one touchdowns-(plural)-to-interception-(singular) ratio. His Hawaii Bowl quarterback rating was 224.9; when it gets to 225, sell. Over the course of the regular season, Brennan piled up 4,990 yards and threw 53 touchdown passes, as opposed to just 11 picks, and those gaudy numbers were not the result of facing weak competition. Need proof? Against Alabama, Boise State, Nevada, Oregon State, Purdue, and San Jose State, Brennan threw for 2,394 yards, 21 touchdowns, and six interceptions." - DawgSports

"Mel Kiper says he's a "system" guy. Whatever, Mel. He still had - what - 80 touchdowns? Okay, 58. And he threw for five touchdowns against Boise State! They are a good football team, no? Brennan's numbers are inflated, yes, but when you're pretty much doubling up the rest of the field, this is more than just floating through the system. You're playing great, great football." - BurntOrangeNation

"That's a pretty good non-conference schedule, to say nothing of the cache torching Boise within a touchdown of its undefeated life holds now. But what's astounding about Brennan's numbers is that they're not just the result of throwing the ball a whole lot - he led the nation in completion percentage, yards per attempt, touchdown percent (attempts per touchdown) and voodoo passer rating, each of which is relative and has nothing to do with the number of times the ball is in the air. Even if it took 14 games against mostly WAC-ky secondaries, setting the single-season touchdown mark is pretty good; one player (Graham Harrell) got within twenty touchdowns, but no closer." - SMQ

If someone would have told me at the beginning of the season that only one quarterback made the final top five, you would have assumed that quarterback to be either Troy Smith or Brady Quinn, perhaps Brian Brohm, but we've got upset city. If I hear system quarterback from a WAC school as an argument against him one more time, I'm going to smash a ukulele over the opponent's head. At some point in time the system becomes an excuse, as you still have to make the reads and complete the passes, all at absurdly high rates. Stealing this from Kyle and SMQ, if you want to discount the stats against crappy WAC teams, go right ahead, but if that's the case, you need to erase the bottom half of all the other top quarterback's statistics and still look at the gap between Brennan and everyone else.

Including the two-touchdown, two-pick day against Oregon State, Brennan combined for 25 touchdowns and seven picks against Alabama, Boise State, Nevada, San Jose State, Purdue, Oregon State and Arizona State. If you just want to play the Calvin Johnson game and double those numbers instead of including the lighter fare on the Rainbow Warrior's schedule, that's still fifty touchdown passes and a completion percentage that never dipped below 68.8 percent.

Those are all really great comments about Colt and really great to hear! Congratulations to Colt once again, and thanks to the pundits for giving him this award.

Hawaii Warrior Videos

Some more videos from Youtube, this one via Sportshawaii.com: it's a video of BIG HITS by the Warrior defense (and offense), edited by kapoleicoug.


Awesome!

A big hit not in that video is this one from the Hawaii Bowl. Leonard Peters comes in untouched to sack Arizona State's Rudy Carpenter and force a fumble. Video posted by braddahneil.


Hoohoo!

And finally, here's another braddahneil video of Colt's five touchdown passes in the Hawaii Bowl.

Was that Colt's last game as a Warrior? We'll find out tomorrow (Tuesday)!

Another Colt, Ikaika and Mel Update

Via Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat:

Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis was in the hospital this morning, receiving treatment for an injured pectoral muscle. He suffered the injury in the first half of yesterday's Hula Bowl. He did not know the severity, but said he would not play in this week's East-West Shrine Game in Houston.
The news was a little more hopeful for defensive end Melila Purcell III, who suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament in the Hula Bowl. Tests showed it was a Grade 1 sprain, the mildest in the three-game system

We wish all the best for Ikaika and Mel's recovery. Read the rest of Stephen's post regarding Colt. He lists a lot of good reasons for Colt to leave for the NFL. Doh.

Ikaika and Melila Injury Update

They both record sacks in the Hula Bowl, and they both get injured.

In the first quarter, Alama-Francis recorded one of the three sacks by the Kai team, but suffered an injury to his pectoral muscle late in the first half.

"(Alama-Francis) was in a lot of pain," Kai assistant coach Rich Miano said. "Pectoral tears don't always require surgery, but it might. It's also terrible since he might miss the East-West Shrine Game now."

Alama-Francis returned to the field without his pads for the opening kickoff of the second half, but left midway through the third quarter.

Fellow All-WAC defensive end Mel Purcell was also injured. Like Alama-Francis, Purcell had a sack, but sprained a knee in the final minute. The early diagnosis is an MCL sprain, Miano said.

Let's hope they heal quickly. It doesn't sound like Ikaika will make the Shrine Game if they're talking about possible surgery. Hope he'll be okay for the NFL Combine.

As for the game itself, the Aina beat the Kai. All the Warriors were on the Kai side, but they had fun nonetheless.

Sparked by players from the Western Athletic Conference, the Kai scored on the opening drive.

Zabransky's 16-yard touchdown pass to Ilaoa gave the Kai an early 7-0 lead. On the play, Ilaoa caught the swing pass on the left side, got an upfield block by Colorado State offensive guard Josh Day and rammed his way into the end zone.

"It was a good thing I was able to score," Ilaoa said. "It ranks up there, but it was mostly hanging out with all these dudes that was special."

...

"It didn't matter what the outcome was," Hawai'i safety Leonard Peters said. "The main thing was we got to showcase our skills to the NFL scouts. I think people who came out here had fun watching us play."

The Kai team performed the haka at midfield about 20 minutes before the game. Hawai'i running back Reagan Mauia led the Maori war dance that was greeted with a roar from the crowd. Even Fresno State coach Pat Hill, the coach of the Kai team, danced from the back row.

I wonder what Bulldog fans think about Pat Hill doing the haka? Too funny! Anyway, here's a clip from the game of Nate Ilaoa scoring on a TD pass from Jared Zabransky.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Colt Brennan is filing for the NFL draft today, but only to give him more time to decide whether to go the NFL or not.

"I need more time and more information," Brennan told The Advertiser last night. He rescheduled the news conference for tomorrow afternoon.

The NFL allows an applicant 72 hours to rescind a decision. UH spokeswoman Lois Manin said Brennan will file the NFL application today as a way to keep open his options.

"It does not mean I've made a decision," Brennan said. "No, that is not it at all. I swear to God that's not it. I need more time."

Brennan said he is seeking undisclosed "information" that will ease his decision. He said the information would not have been available by this morning.

"If the decision calls for me to go to the NFL, I need to be ready," Brennan said. "If I don't send in the paperwork, I missed out on that opportunity. By putting in the paperwork, I'm reserving the right to have one more day to think about it."

Oh man, he really must not be getting any sleep. I hope everything, for his sake, is resolved by tomorrow. Colt also spoke to Dave Reardon, giving some insight into his decision.

"What I'm asking for is I need more time. I'm trying to keep myself eligible (for the draft), but I'm still torn. I'm still just torn down the middle.

"I'm still awaiting some information, some of it personal," Brennan added.

Some of the information he wants is whether Louisville junior quarterback Brian Brohm will declare for the draft. Brohm's presence in or absence from the draft could affect Brennan's status.

Well, this is probably bad news for Warrior fans who want Colt to stay, but Brohm decided to stay at Louisville, he announced today.

Brohm, 6-foot-4, 224 pounds, would have been considered among the top three quarterbacks in this year's draft. His aim now will be to be the top player in the 2008 draft. Brohm has thrown for 6,751 yards and 41 touchdowns in three seasons. Both marks are fourth on the school's career list.

Be well Colt! I hope he gets all the info he needs today and comes to a decision. Don't want him to be all haggard and grizzled at his news conference. One more day...

Tomorrow

Well, that was a pretty good Hula Bowl. All the Warriors got to show off their stuff. Let's hope there's good news regarding the injury to Ikaika Alama-Francis and that he can play in the Shrine game next week. Well, tomorrow Colt makes his announcement whether to come back for his senior season or go to the NFL. Louisville's Brian Brohm will make his announcement earlier in the day, so that might even factor into all of it. We'll find out tomorrow!

LiveBlogging: Hula Bowl

All Times Game Clock!

1st Quarter:

15:00 - Ross Dickerson takes the opening kickoff out to the 32 yard line!

14:30 - On 1st down from the 32, Kai QB Jared Zabransky's pass is too high for Reagan Mauia.

14:24 - On 2nd and 10 from the Kai 32, Zabransky hands off to Nate Ilaoa who takes it up the middle for no gain.

13:45 - On 3rd and 10 from the Kai 32, Zabransky scrambles to the Kai 48 for a first down.

13:20 - On 1st down from the Kai 47, Nate Ilaoa up the middle for a short gain.

12:35 - Zabransky takes a time out.

12:22 - On 2nd down from the Kai 47, short pass to Nate Ilaoa, who takes it into Aina territory for a 7 yard gain!

11:40 - On 3rd and 3, Zabransky completes a pass to Cedric Steptoe for a first down.

11:00 - On 1st down from the Aina 28, Zabransky's pass over the middle is incomplete.

10:30 - On 2nd down, Zabransky completes a pass to a Kansas State receiver to the Aina 16.

10:00 - ON 1st down from the Aina 16, screen to Nate Ilaoa, who TAKES IT IN FOR THE TOUCHDOWN!!!!!

9:48 - Extra point is good. Nice run-after-catch by Nate! Kai 7, Aina 0.

9:45 - Kai kicks off, and Alabama's Ramzee Robinson takes it out. Time to see Leonard Peters, Mel Purcell and Ikaika Alama-Francis do their thing!

9:10 - On 1st down from the Aina 26, hand off for a couple yards.

8:30 - On 2nd and 8 from the Aina 28, pass complete out to the 34. 3rd down.

7:45 - On 3rd and 2 from the Aina 33, pass is incomplete. Gotta punt.

7:22 - Aina punts and it is downed at the Kai 32.

6:44 - On 1st down from the Kai 32, Zabransky scrambles for 5 yards to the Kai 37.

6:12 - On 2nd and 5 from the Kai 37, Nate Ilaoa takes it to the 40 for a short gain.

5:30 - On 3rd and 2 from the Kai 40, Zabransky's pass is incomplete.

4:20 - Kai punts and it's taken out to the 35 or so.

3:40 - From the Aina 29, pass is incomplete.

3:22 - On 2nd and 10 from the Aina 29, hand off to Tim Castille from Alabama for about 5 yards.

2:38 - On 3rd and 5, screen pass is taken out for a first down to the Aina 46.

2:00 - Handoff for a couple yards.

1:15 - On 2nd and 8 from the Kai 48, swing pass is incomplete.

0:45 - On 3rd and 8, Ikaika Alama-Francis with the SACK!!!

0:08 - Aina punts and Kai takes it to the 24.

0:00 - End of 1st Quarter. Nice showing by Warrior players so far.


2nd Quarter:

15:00 - On 1st down from the Kai 24, hand off to Dwayne Wright of Fresno State for a 15 yard gain.

14:15 - On 1st down from the Kai 39, Wright takes it about 4 yards.

13:33 - On 2nd and 7 from the Kai 42, Wright takes it to the 44. 3rd down.

12:40 - Zabransky takes a time out.

12:25 - On 3rd and 5 from the Kai 44, Zabransky's bomb down the sideline is incomplete.

11:52 - Kai punts and it ends up in the end zone.

11:25 - On 1st down from the 20, Aina rushes for a negative gain.

10:40 - On 2nd and 11 from the 19, short pass to the 23.

10:05 - On 3rd and 6 from the 24, pass is incomplete. Leonard Peters is flying around out there, but no big hits yet.

9:35 - Aina punts and it's taken to around the 21.

9:10 - On 1st down from the Kai 21, Curtis Brown from BYU takes it out to midfield for a first down.

8:35 - On 1st down from the Kai 49, the bomb is intercepted, but there's a flag on the play. Yep, pass interference on the Aina.

8:15 - On 1st and 10 from the Kai 44, the Utah QB, Bret Ratliff scrambles to the Aina 24 for a first down.

7:30 - On 1st and 10 from the Aina 24, the end around is taken by Steptoe to the 11 yard line for another first down.

6:50 - On 1st down from the Aina 10, short pass to Wright is taken to the 9.

6:10 - On 2nd and goal from the 9, Wright is tackled around the 6.

5:22 - On 3rd and goal from the 7, pass is incomplete in the end zone.

4:55 - Texas kicker for the Kai kicks it for a field goal. Kai 10, Aina 0.

4:50 - Kai kicks off and the Aina takes it out to the 22.

4:20 - On 1st down from the Aina 22, end around is stopped for no gain. Leonard Peters was in on the tail end of the tackle.

3:48 - Will Procter of the Aina completes a pass for a first down.

3:05 - On 1st down from the Aina 33, pass complete out to the 40.

2:40 - On 2nd and 4 from the Aina 39, ball is taken out to the 47.

2:04 - Will Procter completes a pass under pressure from Ikaiaka Alama-Francis. Ikaika is down on the field. I really hope it's not serious.

1:52 - It looks like Ikaika injured his right arm, but we'll see what his condition is later. Let's hope the equipment is too tight or something!

1:03 - Back to the game, Will Proctor completes a pass to Tim Castille out to the 2 yard line.

0:30 - On 3rd and goal from the 2, Proctor's pass is incomplete.

0:24 - On 4th down, the Aina kicks a field goal. But hold on, there's an illegal formation penalty. It's the Hula Bowl! Come on!

0:19 - On the 2nd attempt, the field goal is good again. Kai 10, Aina 3

0:14 - Aina kicks a squib, and its taken out to the 34.

0:00 - Clock runs down. End of half.


2nd Half

3rd Quarter:

15:00 - Kai kicks off and the Aina takes it out to the 37.

14:20 - Pass is batted down.

13:55 - On 2nd and 10 from the Aina 37, pitch is taken to the 40. 3rd down.

13:15 - On 3rd and 6 from the Aina 41, pass is incomplete.

12:40 - Aina punts and the punt is muffed. Aina recovers, but there's a flag. Illegal formation on Aina. Kai is bailed out!

12:20 - Aina punts again and the Houston player for Kai takes it to the 21.

11:50 - On 1st down, the bomb is incomplete incomplete on the sideline.

11:20 - On 2nd and 10 from the 21, hand off to Curtis Brown is taken to about the 25. 3rd down.

10:35 - On 3rd and 6 from the 25, pass is complete to the 35 for a first down.

10:00 - On 1st down from the Kai 35, Ratliff hands off for a couple yards.

9:20 - On 2nd and 8 from the 37, end around is taken by Yamon Figurs to the Aina 45 for a first down.

8:25 - On 1st down, a double pass is taken by Ratliff to the Aina 32.

7:50 - Hand off by Curtis Brown is taken for a few yards.

7:05 - On 2nd and 4 from the Aina 26, big loss as Brown is dropped back around the 35.

6:20 - On 3rd and long from the Aina 35, screen pass to Nate Ilaoa who takes it to the 28. 4th down.

5:19 - On 4th down, Kai goes for it but the QB gets sacked. Aina ball.

5:06 - On 1st down from the Aina 37, pass complete to the 47.

4:26 - Hand off taken into Kai territory to the 48.

3:44 - On 2nd and 6, Mel Purcell with THE SACK!!!

2:55 - On 3rd and 14, pass is overthrown. Gotta punt.

2:30 - Aina punts and Figurs, who is really really fast, takes it in for a TD on the return, but it's coming back since he stepped out of bounds.

1:51 - On 1st down from the Aina 34, John Stocco has to throw it away.

1:10 - On 2nd and 10 from the 34, hand off is taken to the 29.

0:25 - On 3rd and 5 from the 29, screen to Brown, who takes it to the 27. 4th down.

0:00 - End of 3rd Quarter.


4th Quarter:

15:00 - On 4th down, Stocco gets sacked wayyyy back. Aina ball on the 43.

14:22 - Proctor completes a pass out to the 49.

13:44 - Bomb is incomplete down the sideline.

13:22 - On 3rd and 4 from the Aina 49, offsides on he Kai.

13:10 - On 1st and 10 from the Kai 46, Proctor's pass is incomplete.

12:40 - Screen pass to Hairston is taken to the 40.

11:52 - On 3rd and 5, Proctor's pass is incomplete.

11:34 - On 4th and 5, Proctor scrambles for it but gets smashed by a couple players, including Purcell! Looks like it's short.

11:12 - On 1st down, hand off to Nate Ilaoa for a couple yards.

10:22 - On 2nd and 8 from the 39, Nate takes it for a tough 3 or 4 yards.

9:35 - On 3rd down, pass complete to McFoy for a first down.

9:00 - On 1st down from the Aina 48, hand off to Nate for another couple yards.

8:20 - On 2nd down from the Aina 47, Dwayne Wright takes it about 3 yards to the 44.

7:20 - On 3rd and 6 from the 44, Stocco's pass is incomplete.

7:15 - Kai punts into the end zone.

7:00 - Pass by Justin Zwick is incomplete.

6:52 - Zwick throws an INT, but there's a penalty. Offsides on the defense.

6:50 - On a crazy play, a Kai player takes away the ball from the Aina receiver. He then fumbles into the hands of another Kai defender. Wow!

6:23 - First pass by Stocco is incomplete.

6:10 - On 2nd and 10 from the Aina 31, Nate is dropped for a 1 yard loss.

5:30 - On 3rd and 11 from the Aina 32, Stocco completes a pass but it's short of the 1st down.

4:32 - Kai tries a long 48 yard field goal, but it is NO GOOD.

4:20 - Under pressure by Mel Purcell, the Aina QB has to rush it, and it's incomplete!

4:05 - The QB gets sacked by Abu Ma'afala after getting pressured again by Purcell!

3:23 - The QB throws a long bomb and it's intercepted.

3:00 - From the Kai 37, there's a fumble and Aina gets the ball back!

2:30 - On 1st down from the Kai 39, Proctor completes a pass to the 29 for a first down.

2:25 - On 1st down from the Kai 28, the RB Reggie Merriweather is stuffed.

1:55 - On 2nd down from the Kai 29, pass is incomplete.

1:45 - On 3rd and 11 from the Kai 29, Proctor completes a pass to the 9 yard line.

1:28 - On 1st and goal from the Kai 9, Merriweather takes it to the 1 foot line!

0:45 - Merriweather takes it in for a touchdown.

0:44 - Aina is going for 2!

0:44 - Proctor completes a pass in the back of the end zone for the 2 point conversion! Kai 10, Aina 11

0:44 - Aina kicks off and Vincent Marshall takes it out to the 20.

0:35 - Jared Zabransky is back in and completes a pass to the Kai 36.

0:26 - Zabransky's pass over the middle is incomplete.

0:20 - ON 2nd and 10 from the 36, Zabransky throws an interception to Ramzee Robinson, who takes it in for a pick six!

0:10 - PAT is good. Kai 10, Aina 18.

0:10 - Aina kicks off and Figurs takes it out to midfield. :04 seconds left and there's a 15 yard penalty on Aina, so it'll be in Aina territory.

0:04 - On the last play of the game from the Aina 37 yard line, Jared Zabransky's pass is incomplete. Kind of an exciting finish!

0:00 - FINAL SCORE - Aina 18, Kai 10. Let's hope Ikaika Alama-Francis is okay.

Hula Bowl Today

If I'm not overwhelmed with chores and errands, I will try to liveblog the Hula Bowl today. Brandon Masuoka writes that Reagan Mauia is proud to represent Hawaii out on the field.

When Reagan Mauia straps on his helmet for today's Cornerstone Bancard Hula Bowl, the rugged running back will do so with his beloved Hawai'i on his mind.

"I don't put on this helmet just to protect my head," said Mauia, who played for the hometown University of Hawai'i. "I put on this helmet to represent the 'H' on the side of it."

Mauia is one of seven Warriors who will suit up for the Kai team in the 61st Hula Bowl. The senior all-star game is Hawai'i's longest running sports attraction, and will kick off at 3:30 p.m. and be shown on ESPN.

"Hawai'i has done a lot of good for me," said Mauia, who endeared himself to fans with his hard-nosed running and blocking. "This is just me giving thanks back to the people of the '808' state that have shown me so much love out here."

Mauia's Hawai'i teammates are safety Leonard Peters, running back Nate Ilaoa, offensive tackle Dane Uperesa, wide receiver Ross Dickerson and defensive ends Ikaika Alama-Francis and Mel Purcell.

Looking forward to seeing a great game on both sides of the ball.

In an article from yesterday, Billy Hull writes about what to look for before the game.

As practice ended yesterday, the Kai team gathered around midfield and watched as Leonard Peters and the rest of the Hawaii players selected for the game starting teaching the team a version of the popular Polynesian dance the haka.

"They look good, man -- all of them are digging it," Peters said. "I thought for sure that some of them wouldn't want to do it, but they all wanted to do it. They approached me and asked me about the haka, so I tried to put something together that didn't have that much words."

Peters, Mel Purcell, Ikaika Alama-Francis, Nate Ilaoa, Reagan Mauia, Dane Uperesa and Ross Dickerson spent about 10 minutes leading the team through the first half of the dance, and they plan on teaching them the second half of it after practice today.

"The custom stuff being over here in Hawaii is one of the best parts about coming here, and it's an honor to be able to do, or try to do, that dance," Colorado's Bryce MacMartin said.

Even Kai coach Pat Hill plans on giving it a try.

"I might be the slowest guy out there, but I'll be doing it," Hill said. "I think it's a real neat deal what the University of Hawaii does with that."

Whether or not they actually perform the dance on game day remains to be seen.

"We'll see how many people buy tickets to the game," Peters said. "If we have a big crowd, we might do it for them."

Ilaoa, though, says it's a done deal.

"Hey man, we don't practice plays out here we're not going to run," he said. "Of course we're going to do it."

That should be... interesting!

Dave Reardon and Billy Hull give a preview of what to look for during the game.

Today's game is an opportunity for Ilaoa and Hawaii teammate Reagan Mauia to play together in the same backfield. They rarely did so in the Warriors' mostly one-back offense.

"He's at fullback, I'm at tailback," Ilaoa said. "He's out there plowing away and I'm just taking advantage of it. He's right there in front of me smashing on the guys," Ilaoa said.

Both are intriguing prospects, since at 250 pounds Ilaoa is a fullback-sized tailback and at around 280, Mauia is a center-sized fullback.

The tutelage of Hill and practicing with Fresno State tailback Dwayne Wright and fullback Roshon Vercher should help them get used to the two-back set favored by the pros.

"A lot of guys haven't had a chance to run this offense or called it different things, but they've done a really good job of putting themselves out there and running the plays," Hill said.

UH defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis, projected as a second-round NFL Draft pick, turned in an impressive week of practice. Any doubts about his ferocity because of his pleasant off-field personality were erased Thursday. That's when he wrestled with a frustrated offensive lineman long after the whistle. The coaches and scouts loved it.

It'll be good to see Reagan and Dane blocking for Nate, Mel and Ikaika rushing the QB from either side, Leonard putting in a few good knocks and Ross taking it to the house on a kickoff return! Be there!

50/50

The speculation ends tomorrow. Until then, we can all gnash our teeth. Colt Brennan, who was at Yale for the 2006 Walter Camp Football Foundation All-Americans banquet, spoke to Stephen Tsai about his future.

Pressed for a what-if answer on ESPN's The Pulse yesterday, Brennan said: "If it's just hypothetically, I'd probably go to the NFL."

Later, Brennan told The Advertiser, he remains at "50-50."

"The guy put me on the spot," Brennan said. "He wanted an answer, and I said, 'fine, hypothetically, yeah.' It didn't mean anything. I'm just trying to get through the question, that's all."

Two months ago, Brennan said it was his "full intention" to play for the Warriors in 2007. But after strong performances against Purdue and Arizona State in the Hawai'i Bowl, and after setting six single-season NCAA records, including best pass-efficiency rating and most touchdown passes, Brennan's stock skyrocketed.

Several NFL scouts projected he would be one of the top three quarterbacks selected in the NFL draft. An NFL assessment committee, known for providing conservative evaluations for underclassmen, said Brennan would be a second-round selection.

...


Brennan said: "The only thing that's stressful is it's not as easy a decision as I thought it would be. It's win-win, but it's really hard. It would be easier if there's something pushing me in a direction, like it was easy to see and clear.

"But all of the pros and cons I go through, it always ends up 50-50," he added. "No matter who says it or what someone says, it's always right down the middle."

Colt also talks to Shawn Courchesne of the Hartford Courant about the pros and cons.

"I'm waiting until the last possible time to make my decision," said Brennan, a junior.

...

"I would love to go back to Hawaii as a senior and finish my career there, but at the same time it's kind of hard because there's so much opportunity presenting itself right now," Brennan said. "Because of the way the season went, there's a lot of positive momentum for me to enter this draft right now. There's a lot of people out there saying now is my time. It's a tough decision, but it's a great position to be in."

A committee of NFL scouts that reviews tape of underclassmen who are considering entering the draft told Brennan that he would probably be a second-round pick.

"Next year doesn't guarantee me anything," Brennan said. "That's why most people are telling me to do this now because it can't get any better than where I am right now. But I truly believe that we will have a great football team at Hawaii if I go back."

Lordy, I hope he's getting enough sleep. Whenever I'm at a restaurant and I can't decide between two dishes, agonizing over one versus the other, I usually wait until the very last second, and then just spit out the first thing that comes to mind when the waiter asks me what I want. Sounds like Brennan will be doing something similar tomorrow. Let's hope his choice is, in the words of Jim Leahey, DELICIOUS!

Moving the Goalposts

UH AD Herman Frazier gives Cindy Luis an update on the 2007 schedule.

"Close."

That sums up where Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier says he is with finalizing this fall's football schedule.

The Warriors have three open dates to fill, but where some would see the situation as a last-minute scramble, Frazier says the flexibility allows for bigger-name opponents and national television exposure.

"Obviously for me to be holding out this long, it has to be BCS conference schools," Frazier said yesterday. "The reason we've held out on our schedule is because we can get better teams and there are more people assisting us, like ESPN, the WAC and the other conferences.

"If I had all the dates filled, the flexibility goes away because we can't change (the opponent). But we're talking about mostly home games."

The Western Athletic Conference schedule -- which was completed in November but not yet announced -- fills eight of the Warriors' playing dates. Two nonconference games are at home against Eastern Washington on Sept. 8 and at UNLV on Sept. 15.

Frazier said the deadline for Hawaii's complete schedule is April 30.

He also said there had been a chance that Michigan State would come back on the schedule, rather than paying the $250,000 buy-out fee. That possibility is no longer on the table, with the matter of MSU not honoring the contract -- and the $250,000 buy-out clause -- being handled by lawyers.

Frazier said he didn't want to mention specific teams or conferences at the risk of jeopardizing negotiations. It was earlier reported that until the MSU matter was resolved, there was the risk of losing at least some of the $250,000.

Hawaii has also had discussions with USC about a game this season, according to a USC spokesman. The Trojans hosted Hawaii in 2003 and played the Warriors at Aloha Stadium in 2005.

UCLA is another viable Pac-10 opponent. That school generated considerable interest when mentioned as a possible opponent for Hawaii in last month's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

Herman definitely makes it sound like everything is hunky dory. Let's hope everything is (as I bury my head in the sand). If you read the rest of the Luis article, Frazier did a good job in balancing the athletic department budget, so maybe now he can put his full focus on this issue. In any case, it sounds like now we'll have to wait until the end of APRIL to get a final schedule. I just hope it all works out and UH plays some great teams in 2007. You can do it, Herman!

======

Dave Reardon writes about former Warrior Abu Ma'afala, back in Hawaii to play in the Hula Bowl.

"I was in the hotel in San Diego (preparing for the Holiday Bowl) watching them blow up Arizona State. It was hard, because I was watching my boys play, and at the same time you want the Pac-10 to win," Ma'afala said. "It was good to see them balling like that and doing well. There was a part of me though that was thinking, 'What if?' But at the same time I was really happy that I ended up at Cal."

Ma'afala transferred after his true sophomore year because of a disagreement with UH coach June Jones about whether Ma'afala would redshirt or not the next season. Ma'afala and Jones both say there are no hard feelings, and Ma'afala proved it in 2005 by giving UH a scouting report on a common opponent.

This week, Ma'afala is home for the Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium on Sunday. He is reunited with six former UH teammates on the Kai squad, including fellow defensive linemen Ikaika Alama-Francis and Melila Purcell.

"The last time I put on pads with them was spring '04. A lot of things changed. Ikaika's a big-name guy, Mel came back from all his injuries. Dane (Uperesa) ended up being an awesome, awesome player. And of course, Leonard (Peters). Reggie Bush said that was the best guy he played against in 2005. It's just going to be fun to be out there with them again."

Too bad things didn't work out at UH, but glad to hear he's happy to be back.

======

Olin Buchanan of Rivals.com writes a Top 10 list of storylines to look out for in 2007. Here's number 4.

4. Hawaii: Unless he changes his mind soon and opts to enter the NFL Draft, QB Colt Brennan - who threw 58 touchdown passes in 2006 - will be back to lead the nation's No. 1 offense. With receivers Davone Bess and Jason Rivers also returning, the Warriors offense figures to be just as exciting in 2007. If Boise State falters, Hawaii could be next season's mid-major that is thrust into the BCS discussion. With defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville around, that could be an interesting conversation.

Do they have some inside info on Colt returning or something? Anyway, let's hope UH can beat some great teams to start off the 2007 campaign, whoever those teams may be.

======

And finally, Richard Cirminiello of Collegefootballnews.com writes about the 100 stars of the bowl season. Here are some relevant excerpts.

38. WAC – It was a banner post-season for the Western Athletic Conference, which was a one-point loss by Nevada to Miami from going an unthinkable 4-0 in bowl games. Obviously, Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl upset of Oklahoma was the headliner, but don’t forget that Hawaii knocked off Arizona State and San Jose State surprised New Mexico in Albuquerque. Not too shabby for a league that didn’t even have perennial giant-killer Fresno State in the mix this year.

...


21. Hawaii WR Jason Rivers – Perhaps lost in Colt Brennan’s performance was the heroics of Rivers, who roamed through the Arizona State secondary in the Hawaii Bowl as if he was completely undetectable. He pulled down 14 passes, tying a school record, for 308 yards, establishing a new NCAA bowl record, and two scores in the Warrior win.

...

7. Hawaii QB Colt Brennan – In one of the great second halves in bowl history, Brennan threw five touchdown passes as part of a school-record 559-yard evening, rallying the Warriors to a 41-24 win over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. The five touchdown strikes gave the junior 58 on the season, surpassing Houston’s David Klingler for the NCAA single-season record.

More All-Bowl

CBS Sportsline also has an All-Bowl team. J. Darin Darst picks Colt Brennan as the top QB.

QB: Colt Brennan, Hawaii: With apologies to the great performances of USC's John David Booty and Oregon State's Matt Moore, the choice is Brennan. Never mind the 559 yards he threw for against Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl; the five touchdowns are the most impressive stat.

After throwing two to break the NCAA record for most touchdowns in a season, the crowd chanted "One more!" Brennan looked up in the stands and said "How about three more?" Sure enough, he threw three more, lifting Hawaii to an 11-win season with a 41-24 victory.

The internet buzz is that Colt is leaning towards coming back. I hope he does, but I also hope Tyler Graunke gets into the mix more too. Tybow can run the quintuple option!

And CBS Sportsline's Dennis Dodd, writing about the "mid-major" revolution, looks to Hawaii as being a breakthrough team in 2007.

Hawaii: Should have beaten Alabama. Almost beat Boise. Did beat Arizona State and Purdue.

2007 is looking good for the Warriors!

Glanville in the Hall

Donald Emmons of the Toledo Blade writes that Jerry Glanville will be inducted into the Perrysburg High School Hall of Fame.

Jim Leyland and Jerry Glanville — the two most recognized Perrysburg graduates in the sports world — headline a group scheduled for induction Feb. 2 into the school’s athletic hall of fame.

Leyland, a 1962 graduate, and Glanville (1959) made a name for themselves by having successful careers in professional athletics.

...

Glanville found success as an NFL coach, most notably, serving as the head coach of the Houston Oilers and Atlanta Falcons. He led his teams to four playoff appearances. He is currently the defensive coordinator at the University of Hawaii.

Glanville was an All-NLL performer in football and was a key member of an undefeated team his senior year. He also played baseball and ran track.

Congratulations to Jerry! I'm sure he'll give a great speech at the ceremony -- right before he comes back to UH for spring practice!

In a Hula Bowl article by the Star-Bulletin's Billy Hull, there's a section on Ikaika Alama-Francis pulling double-duty.

Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis was on the field practicing for Sunday's Hula Bowl, but is still committed to playing in the East-West Shrine Game next week in Houston as well.
"It's going to be tough, but the plan is just to be ready and have fun," he said.

Alama-Francis has been ranked in the top 25 of ESPN analyst Mel Kiper's "Big Board," where Kiper ranks the top prospects for the upcoming NFL Draft, and was busy after practice talking to many NFL scouts.

"It's very exciting," Alama-Francis said. "Coming from a basketball team and talking to all these (scouts), I never would have imagined it. It's different."

I was going to wait till I got a bunch of other polls together, but that may never happen. Anyway, Niall pointed out a couple of polls from Collegefootballnews.com. In their final 2006 rankings, using their very own "CFN Formula", they rank Hawaii at 15th in the nation.

15. Hawaii (11-3) CFN Score: 18.23
2005 Score: 4.07 2005 Ranking: 88
The high-powered, 656-point offense was the difference in the overall score. Sure, there were Bad Wins over Eastern Illinois, UNLV, Utah State and Louisiana Tech, but the Warriors also pushed Boise State to the wall in a 41-34 loss and beat four bowl teams. Basically, the points put them this high.

In CFN's opinion polls, they rank UH at 21st. This is more great news and hopefully will lead to pre-season exposure for Hawaii. Thanks Niall!

Also from CFN, Pete Fiutak writes a Cavalcade of Whimsy column in which he laments that sportswriters cast their Heisman vote before all games are completed.

2. The Heisman has to be awarded on the day after the national championship
We all blew it on the Reggie Bush over Vince Young call last year, and after the ugly BCS Championship game, it's human nature to second-guess the choice of Troy Smith as the runaway Heisman winner. However, who was the second option? Darren McFadden and Brady Quinn both lost in their bowl games, and Mike Hart had an awful day against USC. Colt Brennan? Ray Rice? If nothing else, it would’ve been a fantastic debate. I’ve literally sat here for the last ten minutes trying to figure out what my post-bowl Heisman ballot would be (and I'm still not happy about it). I finally decided it’d be 1) Brennan, 2) Smith, 3) John Beck.

All the cards seem to be lined up for Brennan's 2007 Heisman Hype if he decides to return! Stay Colt stay! Woot woot!

UPDATE: While I'm here, Rivals.com ranks Hawaii at #23 in their really early 2007 pre-season Top 25.

23. Hawaii

Hawaii's pass-first offense will make sure the Warriors are routinely among the top statistical offenses in the country, but quarterback Colt Brennan makes Hawaii a contender for the next mid-major breakthrough. The Warriors were second in the WAC to undefeated Boise State in 2006, and they ended the year with a convincing win over Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl. The only thing that will stop Hawaii from joining Boise State and Utah as a BCS bowl team is road trips. Two of Hawaii's three losses came on the mainland (to the Broncos and Alabama).

So there's some (really early) pre-season hype!

Also, I saw in the comments on the Warrior Beat that Jason Rivers was named to the Rivals.com All-Bowl Team.

Colt Brennan wasn't the only Warrior to have a record-breaking performance in a 42-24 Hawaii Bowl victory over Arizona State. Rivers tied a school record with 14 catches for 308 yards, which likely set a bowl record. Rivers' 308 receiving yards were the most in a bowl game since at least 1937. NCAA records don't go back any further. Rivers also caught two of Brennan's five touchdown catches.

Congrats to Jason Rivers! Colt was also named as an honorable mention.

Hula Bowl

Dave Reardon covers the Hula Bowl press conference, writing about Boise QB Jarad Zabransky, who talks about getting a shot at the NC.

"Oh yeah, definitely. You go 13-0 and win all the football games you're given, it wouldn't be too bad to get that extra shot," said Zabransky, who led BSU to a 43-42 overtime win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Day. "We just played what they gave us and we went from there. We're excited to do what we did. Winning the Fiesta Bowl was pretty exciting."

The Broncos proved a team from a so-called mid-major conference could beat one from the top of a major conference in a bowl game, and that the smaller schools deserve to be in high-profile, big-money BCS games. Some say the game might change the structure of postseason college football.

BCS is a bunch of crap. Anyway, Reardon also talks to Nate Ilaoa.

Like Zabransky, Ilaoa is an outstanding college player looking to get a chance in the pros.

This season, Ilaoa led the nation's most productive offense in all-purpose yardage and scoring. But he needs to answer questions about his durability and weight.

At yesterday's pro day, the Hula Bowl players filled out paperwork for NFL teams, underwent interviews with scouts and had their heights and weights measured. It was a 6-hour process, and it wasn't completed for everyone. It was scheduled to be finished after today's practice.

"A lot of interviews, a lot of questionnaires. A lot of information being transferred," Ilaoa said. "It was great to talk to these people who you might have an opportunity to hopefully play for. It's the first step for us in fulfilling our dreams. We were in there doing paperwork today and it seemed like forever. The same questions with the name of a different team on top of it. But it's good preparation for the combine."

Stephen Tsai's Warrior Beat has a post mentioning the Hula Bowl as well.

During the evaluation period at yesterday's Hula Bowl workouts, former UH running back Nate Ilaoa weighed in at 249 pounds. "I lost two pounds," said Ilaoa, who hopes to weigh between 225 and 235 when he competes at the NFL Scouting Combine next month.
Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis was reported to be 6 feet 5 and 271 pounds.
Offensive tackle Dane Uperesa is 6-4 and 317 pounds.

Monsters! Good luck to the Warriors. That blog post also mentions that Junior Seau's son, linebacker Tyler Seau-Sparks, will decide on whether to take a scholarship from UH.

Praise for the Defense

Dave Reardon writes that Coach Glanville and Coach Lumpkin hear good things from other coaches about the UH D. And Jerry's not job-hunting, which is excellent news.

During a phone interview yesterday with Jerry Glanville at the AFCA annual convention in San Antonio, a reporter tried to sum up the conversation to that point.

So you're not job hunting, but you're imparting wisdom?

"You said a truth, but then you followed it up with something not quite true," Glanville replied.

His main priority seemed to be getting his fill of good Tex-Mex food, but Glanville is also working at the coaches' convention (and not distributing résumés). On Sunday, he and outside linebacker coach George Lumpkin spoke at seminars.

Glanville said he was overwhelmed by his colleagues' reaction to UH's improvement on defense.

"There's 7,000 coaches here, and everybody's talking about how Hawaii hustles and hits. Not fans, spectators, this is coaches," Glanville said.

"It makes me very proud of the kids that every coach knows how hard they play. I told George I wish the kids could hear that."

Jerry also talks about possible position changes.

One thought is to move strong safety Jake Patek to free safety.

"We discussed it and may take a look at it," Glanville said. "But his coverage ability is so good, slotbacks can't get away from him. If we move him to free we lose that strength. After what he did, it makes you say don't move him. He and Mike Malala took two excellent tight ends out of the (Arizona State) game."

If Patek stays put, junior Dane Porlas, freshman Spencer Smith and sophomore Kirk Alexander become the top returning candidates at free safety.

"But Alexander's up to 226 pounds, so he might be growing into a linebacker," Glanville said. "Desmond Thomas has been working out at strong, but we could look at him at free."

With Jerry sounding like he's coming back, with Sol and the Manimal forming a solid ILB core, with Keenan Jones able to play, with Keomaka and Galdeira on the rise, this defense is gonna be AMAZING next year. I know I said similar things yesterday, but I just feel the same way about the defense as I felt about the offense before the 2006 season started. They're gonna be fun to watch in 2007.

Rankings Reaction

Stephen Tsai gets June Jones' reaction to the AP poll, which ranks UH 26th.

"You're kidding me," UH coach June Jones said. "I thought we would have finished higher than that."

Jones also was disappointed Boise State, also a member of the Western Athletic Conference, was ranked fifth, despite finishing as the only undefeated NCAA Division I-A team.

"They should have finished higher, too," Jones said. "That's the way it goes."

June tells it like it is. If anything, Boise should've at least been ranked higher than USC, and they were just a few points away from doing so.

Dave Reardon talks to Colt Brennan about his reaction to the national championship game.

Troy Smith's rough outing in yesterday's BCS national championship game was hard to watch for Colt Brennan. The Hawaii quarterback, has been a fan of the Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State and met him on the awards circuit last month.

"It's all about momentum in football," Brennan said. "You could just see early on Florida came to play four quarters. Troy never got into the game until after Florida had the momentum.

"And I think that's the fastest, most physical defense he'd seen. It seemed like he never felt comfortable. We've all been there. Just a bummer. When you throw for 35 yards in a game, he didn't have a good outing by any means."

Dave also talks to June Jones about Colt's future.

Brennan said on Sunday that he's "50-50" and that hasn't changed.

"I told him just wait until the last minute and go with your gut," Jones said.

What would Jones do?

"That's probably an unfair question. I told him what I thought, he told me where he was. I've said publicly he's the best quarterback in the country. We talked about a lot of different things and it's his decision," Jones said.

If Brennan leaves, junior Tyler Graunke is the heir apparent.

"I've always felt very comfortable with Tyler," Jones said. "Hopefully we'll have them both for another year."

The article states that Colt will make his announcement next Monday. Perhaps there will be live streaming video of the press conference? Hmmmmmm? And to end Reardon's article, he writes that Mario Cox, John Fonoti and B.J. Fruean have been reinstated to the UH roster. I tell you, with all the monster defensive linemen coming in and these guys coming back, with Michael Lafaele, Amani Purcell, Blaze Soares, Jake Patek, etc coming back, this Warrior defense is gonna be ferocious next year!

Rankings

Just saw this on The Warrior Beat and the Star-Bulletin. UH finishes 24th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Congratulations Warriors! Stephen has Colt Brennan's reaction in his post. The S-B has June Jones' reaction. But UH finished just outside of the Top 25 in the AP poll, landing at 26th. What's interesting is that Boise State, the only undefeated team, finished 5th in the nation, behind LSU and USC, both with two losses. BSU destroyed Oregon State, which barely beat USC, yet I guess that doesn't matter. Oh well. Someone did give them a first place vote. I wonder who? You can research here.

UPDATE: It was Greg Archuleta of the Albuquerque Journal. He explains:

The Broncos received a single first place vote in the poll – with Florida taking home the remaining 64 ballots. Greg Archuleta of the Albuquerque Journal broke from the pack and cast his vote for the Broncos.

Before the National Championship game, Archuleta told the Associated Press why he would consider a vote for BSU.

“Obviously, Ohio State has the tougher schedule and plays in the Big Ten with a bulls-eye on its back all year,” said Greg Archuleta, college football reporter for the Albuquerque Journal. “But if they lose I have no qualms about voting Boise State No. 1. They did what they had to do. They’ll be the only one undefeated.”

Sounds like a good reason to me!

And Finally...

The 2006 season is officially over with Florida's demolition of Ohio State for the national title. Tim Tebow will be a junior when Hawaii plays Florida in the Swamp in 2008. Tyler Graunke will be a senior. Should be a great game! But let's not get ahead of ourselves, as the 2007 schedule hasn't even been finalized yet. Speaking of which, I've posted a partial 2007 schedule on the right. It still needs three out-of-conference games, as well as the dates and times of all the WAC games, but I wanted to get something up there. I'll update it as the info becomes available.

Looking ahead to 2007, MSNBC's John Tamanaha has an early Hawaii preview.

Program on the rise: Hawaii beats out Kentucky and Oklahoma State. If Brennan and defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville stay in Honolulu, the Warriors could make a lot of noise. And if highly touted RB Leon Jackson, a transfer from Nebraska, pans out, Hawaii could be the Boise State of 2007.

Lot of things are up in the air right now, but no matter what happens, 2007 should be a great year for the Warriors.

The Future

Stephen Tsai uses yesterday's blog post for today's Honolulu Advertiser article about Colt Brennan. I got one word for that: LAZY! Das so cheat! Nah nah, this is just my ruse to get an angry comment from Stephen Tsai. His blog has tons of commenters and it sometimes devolves into flame wars, and I want one of my own. Or any comments at all would be great! That's not to discount the great comments I've had from the awesome Charles, Niall, Davone's old teacher, and the countless anonymous gamblers who like my liveblogs. Remember kids, gambling is bad.

Glendalyn Junio, back to school/work at Ka Leo, recaps the Hawaii Bowl.

Following their performance, the Warriors broke another NCAA record for most points in a season with 657 points under their belts. Brennan completes the best statistical season performance set by a quarterback in the history of NCAA football. The question that is raised is what’s next for the record-setting quarterback.

January 15 marks the deadline for underclassmen to apply for the draft as well as the day Brennan will make his decision on whether to return nest season to UH as a fifth-year senior or to join the elite and apply for the 2007 National Football League draft.

“I mean I’m going to come back probably,” Brennan said during the post-bowl interview. “It’s just that there’s a lot of things to do - I have to be smart and look at the best opportunity out there and people would literally call me an idiot if I didn’t see what the NFL had to say.”

He's not listening to me, but let me just say once again, Stay Colt Stay! No Stay Go! Go Warriors Go! Kick Em in the Boto!

And finally, CBS Sportsline recaps the Hawaii Bowl and looks into the future.

PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2007: QB Colt Brennan - It's just a matter of where you'll watch him, as the fourth-year junior could declare for the NFL draft instead of returning for his senior campaign. If he comes back, Brennan joins Arkansas RB Darren McFadden as the co-Heisman Trophy favorites.

WR Davone Bess - Just a sophomore this season, he might set some NCAA records is he can produce the kind of totals he did this season. After a monster freshman campaign, Bess finished 2006 with 96 receptions for 1,220 yards and 15 touchdowns. No matter who is throwing the ball for Hawaii next season, Bess will be the No. 1 target.

WR Jason Rivers - This junior finished the Hawaii Bowl with 14 grabs for 308 yards and two scores and showed breakaway speed unmatched in the WAC.

The article also has nice things to say about Leonard Peters as he prepares for the NFL combine.

FS Leonard Peters - Look for this senior to be a Scouting Combine stud and possibly crack the top-50 overall. Peters, at 6-1 and 200 pounds of muscle, runs a 4.3 40-yard dash and hits with the authority of a runaway train. He finished with 74 tackles and three interceptions this season and just oozes what scouts are looking for.

That article links to other UH football wrap-ups and prognostications. I've also linked to them here and here.

Colt, Recruiting Updates

Stephen Tsai talks to Colt Brennan on the pros and cons of staying or leaving.

Colt Brennan said he is at "50-50" on whether to apply for the NFL draft or return to UH for his senior season. The draft-application deadline is Jan. 15 for underclassmen.
"Right now I don't need to be anywhere else but right down the middle," Brennan said. "It's 50-50. I want to see how things pan out."
Brennan, who spent the holidays with his family in California, returns to Honolulu today. He begins classes tomorrow. He leaves Thursday for the Walter Camp awards ceremony, then returns Sunday. He will announce his decision on Monday, Jan. 15.
"I'll have one more week with the fellas," Brennan said. "I'll talk to the coaches, and get all of the feedback from the NFL, and see what all of the other quarterbacks out there are doing. And come the 15th, I'll have my decision, and start whatever journey it is."

Visit the Warrior Beat for the full breakdown. The suspense is killing me!

Paul Honda talks to some Hawaii high school players who are weighing their college options, including Hawaii offensive player of the year Miah Ostrowski.

"Coach (June) Jones told me on the phone that they're willing to let me play basketball," Ostrowski said. Jones has always been open to two-sport athletes. Former safety Nate Jackson spent some time late in his Warriors career playing baseball, and current UH slotback Marquez Jackson is on "leave of absence" from football to be on the basketball team.

"If I was going to redshirt in football during my first year, I'd want to suit up for basketball," Ostrowski said.

Prime time! Prime time! Let's hope he'll be able to do both if he comes to UH. In a sidebar, Dave Reardon has a list of players who have committed to Hawaii so far. He also talks to some players who are leaning towards or considering UH.

Sierra (Calif.) College DE Josh Leonard (6-3, 285) said he is ready to commit to Hawaii when he visits this weekend. "I have offers from Nevada, Wyoming and Washington, but Hawaii's clearly ahead," he said in a phone interview last night. Leonard's father, Rick, was a college roommate of UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold when they played at Maine. ... After decommitting from Houston, Hoover (Ala.) High School DE Korey Reynolds now lists Hawaii as his No. 1, with his only other offer on the table being from Southern Miss. "I can't really be sure it's the place until I come out and see what it's about. But right now Hawaii looks like the one." Reynolds (6-3, 250) also plays tight end.

It's shaping up to be a great recruiting class. Looking forward to 2007!

More Ikaika

Dave Reardon has more on Ikaika Alama-Francis playing in the Shrine Game, as well as the Hula Bowl.

Most top pro prospects play in no more than one all-star game. But the 6-foot-6, 280-pound Alama-Francis is a relative newcomer to football (he did not play the sport in high school), so the more scouts can see him, the better.

"More exposure is better for me, the more games I play the better," Alama-Francis said. "I knew the Shrine Game was interested, but I was surprised, because it's kind of last minute. But I'm very happy about it."

Alama-Francis is No. 23 on NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper's "big board" of prospects. (Underclassmen declaring for the draft have not been added in for consideration yet.)

"That's an amazing thing, Mel Kiper's a big-time guy. It's very shocking to me," Alama-Francis said. "I know I have a lot more work ahead of me. I have to listen to all the advice and work hard."

Several scouts have said the former basketball player from Kalaheo High School is likely to be picked by the end of the second round of the draft.

...

"I think for Ikaika, it will really help him to be exposed as much as possible to the scouts," UH defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold said. "They'll get to see his work ethic and the kind of quality person he is. That can make a big difference."

Guess I'll be watching the draft. Congratulations to all!

Ikaika Alama-Francis to Shrine Game

Dave Reardon writes:

Hawaii defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis has accepted an invitation to the Dell East -West Shrine Game at Reliant Stadium in Houston on Jan. 20.

Alama-Francis is also scheduled to play in the Jan. 14 Cornerstone Bancard Hula Bowl at Aloha Stadium.


"Right now he's in both," said John Murphy, a board member of the East-West Shrine Game. "He might get some advice otherwise, but right now he's told us he wants to play in both games. We understand that he'd like to play in front of the home crowd (at the Hula Bowl) once more, that's fine."

Congratulations to Ikaika! He'll be missed!

C.O.

In an article about the Eastern Washington game, Stephen Tsai writes about good news for ex-Warrior Chad Owens.

Former UH receiver/returner Chad Owens yesterday signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Like all NFL contracts, only the signing bonus is guaranteed. Owens received an undisclosed bonus.

"I got a little change," Owens said.

Owens finished the past two seasons on the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad. He was credited with one year of NFL service.

If he makes the Buccaneers' 2007 roster, he will earn $360,000, the NFL minimum for a second-year player.

"I'm definitely going to miss Jacksonville," Owens said. "I've made some friends in the organization. From a business standpoint, now I have to do what I have to do to get on the field."

Owens said he turned down an offer to return to the Jaguars, who released him each of the past two years. They signed him to the practice squad both times.

But Owens said: "It was time to move on."

Thank goodness. He hopefully will be given time to shine in Tampa Bay.

And here's an AP article about the WAC's good showing in the bowls.

Benson sees the bowl results as a vindication for his conference, which doesn't get an automatic berth into the Bowl Championship Series games. Boise State had to win the WAC and finish high enough in the final BCS standings to earn a berth, just as do other teams from the so-called "mid-major" conferences.

But Benson doesn't like the term mid-major, and Boise State's win might have changed how it is perceived anyway.

"The amount of notoriety that is bringing makes it the biggest moment in WAC history," Benson said.

He said both Boise State and Hawaii should start next season ranked in the Top 25, and that Boise State ought to be in the Top 10.

"When you finish the season ranked in the Top 25 and you have star caliber players back, that tends to be a factor," Benson said.

Boise State has running back Ian Johnson, who scored 25 touchdowns this season. Hawaii has quarterback Colt Brennan, who broke the NCAA single-season record for touchdown passes with 58.

"Colt Brennan, you expect he will be one of the preseason leading Heisman candidates," said Benson. "And Ian will be on a lot of preseason Heisman lists as well."

Brennan, who will be a senior, finished sixth in Heisman voting in 2006 while Johnson, who will be a junior, was eighth.

Eastern Washington

So much for no I-AA opponents in 2007.

Hawaii will play Eastern Washington in football Sept. 8 at Aloha Stadium once a contract between the schools is finalized, EWU athletic director Darren Hamilton told the Star-Bulletin today.

When asked if the major points of the contract had been agreed upon, including date and location, Hamilton answered, "Yes."


Hamilton said the game will be the season opener for the Eagles, a Division I-AA team that went 3-8 last year including 3-5 in the Big Sky Conference.


"We're hoping we can officially announce something soon," Hamilton said.


Hawaii, 11-3 in 2006, has announced only one other nonconference game for 2007, at UNLV on Sept. 15. After accounting for eight WAC games, EWU and UNLV, there are three openings. Speculation is that USC might fill one of them.


UH athletic director Herman Frazier was not immediately available for comment.

I wanted the Warriors to play a slate of giants so they could be giant-killers next year, but oh well, this game might be just the thing, recovery-wise, if UH ends up playing USC on the 1st. Of course, one should never underestimate a I-AA team either. I'll refrain from saying anything else about the schedule until the full slate is released. Probably.

And earlier, Dave Reardon spoke to incoming recruit Francis Maka.

Outside linebacker Francis Maka (6-3, 245, College of San Mateo) said he's excited about becoming part of the UH ohana.
"I'm loving the whole family atmosphere," Maka said. "The great season helped me decide on Hawaii, too. Nobody wants to go to a losing program."

He said one of the biggest factors in choosing UH was joining his San Mateo teammate, defensive tackle Ray Hisatake.

Both will enroll at Manoa this semester and plan to participate in spring practice.

And in the same article, Colt Brennan will make an announcement on his future sometime next week.

Colt Brennan plans to announce his decision on going pro or not next week at a news conference at the University of Hawaii, his father said yesterday.

Hawaii football fans are holding their breath, waiting for word from the record-breaking junior on whether he plans to return to UH or enter the NFL Draft.

"That decision has not been made," Terry Brennan, Colt's father, said yesterday in a phone interview. "We're a ways away. It's kind of interesting. Some people think it's a good idea, some think another year (in college) is the way to go. It's an interesting process."

Colt Brennan, who was sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting and led UH to an 11-3 season while breaking numerous single-season passing records, is scheduled to return to Hawaii on Sunday.

The deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL Draft is Jan. 15.

"Something will probably be said before that," Terry Brennan said.

Players who make themselves available for the draft can change their mind until Jan. 19.

Warriors in the Hula Bowl

Dave Reardon with the news:

Seven players who just completed their University of Hawaii football careers — plus former UH defensive lineman Abu Ma'afala — will play for the Kai. Ma'afala's teammate at Kamehameha, wide receiver Caleb Spencer (Nevada), will also play for the Kai, as well as former Kahuku offensive lineman Tavo Tupola (Utah).

Safety Leonard Peters, running back Reagan Mauia, defensive ends Melila Purcell and Ikaika Alama-Francis and receiver Ross Dickerson join running back Nate Ilaoa and offensive lineman Dane Uperesa, who had already committed to the game.

The count would've been nine Warriors (10 if you count Ma'afala, who transferred to Cal after two years at UH), but offensive linemen Samson Satele opted instead for the Senior Bowl and Tala Esera for the East-West Shrine Game.

Congratulations to all of them! Also, earlier Stephen Tsai wrote on the Warrior Beat that Tala Esera got the invite to the NFL Scouting Combine.

Esera is the school-record sixth Warrior to receive an invitation, following center Samson Satele, right tackle Dane Uperesa, running back Nate Ilaoa, defensive right end Ikaika Alama-Francis and free safety Leonard Peters.

And I believe Melila Purcell is also expected to receive an invitation. Right on.

Maka Commits

Stephen Tsai writes that JC linebacker Francis Maka has committed to becoming a Warrior.

He will be reunited with defensive lineman Ray Hisatake, a San Mateo teammate who also enrolls next week.

"He's my best friend," Maka said. "It kind of worked out."

Defensive line coach Jeff Reinebold recruited Maka and Hisatake. "Coach Reinebold is one of the biggest reasons I'm going there," Maka said.

Maka was a standout at Bellarmine High in San Jose before joining Arizona. He redshirted in 2004, then transferred to San Mateo.

At San Mateo, Maka thrived as a ball-hawking linebacker and an aggressive special teams player.

"He was one of our leading tacklers," San Mateo coach Larry Owens said. "He was always around the ball. He was great on special teams. He'll be a nice fit for Hawai'i. He'll be around the football somewhere. He'll hit you."

Maka said: "I love playing special teams, especially on kickoffs. That's my favorite. I was the wedge-breaker."

Maka turned down a scholarship offer from San Jose State to commit to UH.

You would think Dick Tomey would be mad with all with the recruits UH has stolen away from his team, and maybe he is, but he has some good things to say about the Warriors and the WAC in this article by Ferd Lewis.

"I think Hawai'i can be right there where they (the 13-0 Broncos) are next year," said Dick Tomey, San Jose State coach. "Hawai'i has a lot of guys coming back. It is probably more (true) for Hawai'i than everybody else. They can be right there a year from now."

Benson said it was just a matter of time until the WAC got its breakthrough game, becoming only the second conference without an automatic berth to place a team and win a BCS bowl game. "Boise State was on the cusp a couple of years ago (13-1 in 2003 and 11-1 in '04)," Benson said. "Fresno State, even last year, had they beaten Southern Cal and went on to take care of Nevada and Louisiana Tech, would have been there as a one-loss team."

For the WAC, which is one of five conferences that do not have a team automatically placed in the BCS, the Fiesta Bowl, "was an opportunity to make a credibility statement — and they (the Broncos) certainly did," Benson said.

"They (the Broncos) did a fantastic job. I don't think I've ever seen such an exciting football game," said UH coach June Jones, who attended the game. "And, they made a statement not just for Boise but for the whole conference. That is what everybody in the conference knows and that is that we're better than we've been given credit for being."

And like the article said yesterday, consistency will go a long way to retaining that credibility and make a longer lasting statement.

The WAC

Poor Mountain West Conference. This is the glory they were seeking when they shamelessly, secretly, broke away from the WAC all those years ago. Below are a couple of articles about the great play of WAC teams this season. B.J. Lisko of Salem News in Ohio writes an article about the amazing Boise-Oklahoma game, and then goes on to highlight the conference.

But on to my main point. WAC football is the most exciting football in the nation. In particular, Boise State and Hawaii are two of the most action packed teams to watch in the country. Every year I subscribe to DirecTV/ESPN College Gameplan so I can see Hawaii and Boise State a few more times than I normally would, and it’s worth every penny.

Take a look at the bowl games up to this point. Without a doubt, Boise State and Hawaii rank among the most remarkable performances. Boise, obviously because they proved their worth and dropped a Sooners team that if a call or two had gone their way, wouldn’t have even had to play the Broncos in the postseason. Remember, this is the same Sooners team that was pegged to be national champions by nearly every preseason magazine in the country before losing quarterback Rhett Bomar. They managed a pretty good year with Paul Thompson under center, and even had star running back Adrian Peterson in the starting lineup for Monday’s game. He ran for just 77 yards — 25 of them coming on one play in overtime.

Hawaii’s performance on Christmas Eve showcased the talents of the best college quarterback in the country, Colt Brennan.

Brennan broke the single season record for touchdown passes this year, and he did it in fewer pass attempts than previous record holder David Klingler — not to mention Brennan didn’t play in the fourth quarter of seven of Hawaii’s contests.

The Warriors gunslinger completed 72 percent of his passes for 5,549 yards and 58 touchdowns.

Watching a Hawaii game is kind of like watching someone play a video game when the defense is on easy mode. They go shotgun, five-wide about 90 percent of the time, and move the ball down the field with remarkable efficiency. Hawaii dropped Arizona State in the Hawaii Bowl, 41-24. Brennan didn’t have a touchdown pass in the first half of the game, then after throwing his first, a fan said, “Colt, how about one more?” Colt replied, “How about three?” It’s exactly what he did.

Okay, so UH never runs a "five-wide", but it's still a good article. Lisko also looks forward to next year's Boise at Hawaii matchup.

Regardless of their losses, Boise gets star runner Ian Johnson back next year, which will certainly be enough to have them competing for its sixth-straight WAC title. If Brennan stays at Hawaii, that matchup will most definitely be a showcase game next season and likely decide the conference.

Regardless of your allegiances, or whomever you root for, I have been saying it all along. Give those mid-majors, especially the WAC, a chance.

Amen.

Jimmy Watson of the Shreveport Times in Louisiana also writes about the WAC's ability to, dare I say it, Play UP.

"With all due respect to BYU's national championship season, that was the finest moment in WAC history," WAC associate commissioner Steve Macy said. "Karl (Benson, WAC commissioner), Jeff Hurd and I were talking about the stage that this was played on with so much at stake -- that's what makes Boise's victory bigger."

This 2006-07 bowl season has definitely been stellar for the WAC, which finished with a 3-1 record in the postseason after going 1-2 last year. Hawaii stomped Arizona State 41-24 behind quarterback Colt Brennan's 559 yards passing and five touchdowns. Brennan brought national attention to the WAC by setting the NCAA record with 58 touchdown passes.

San Jose State won the upstart New Mexico Bowl 20-12 over the Lobos, while Nevada narrowly lost its MPC Computers matchup with Miami 21-20. The WAC very easily could have been 4-0 in bowl play with three wins over BCS teams.

...

"The WAC gained a lot of respect with Boise's victory," Louisiana Tech athletic director Jim Oakes said. "We were a few points ahead of the Mountain West entering the bowl season. I feel sure we'll finish ahead of them, even though they also went 3-1."

The only MWC win against a BCS team was BYU's 38-8 victory over Oregon, which was 4-5 in the Pac 10. Meanwhile, C-USA went 0-4 in bowl outings and looked bad doing it with losses by Rice, East Carolina, Tulsa and Houston.

It would be easy to make a case for Boise to play for the national championship game, since the Broncos and Ohio State are the only remaining undefeated teams.

"We were 13-0 and beat everyone on our schedule," Broncos quarterback Jared Zabransky told reporters after his team's 43-42 overtime victory. "We're deserving of a chance at the national title."

That may be so, but it ain't happening this year. Benson doesn't believe that this bowl season was an aberration for the WAC.

"We've been on the verge of this position before -- and Boise stepped up and produced this year," Benson said. "This shows that the system works for the WAC and we were able to take advantage of it."

Macy said that the game between Boise State and Oklahoma was filled with a lot of highs and lows for the WAC contingent watching the game in a suite high above the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl field.

"That was the best game I've ever seen, and it bodes well for our entire league," Macy said. "It showed that the WAC can go in there and compete with anyone. We made a point."

Making the same point in two consecutive years would make an even longer lasting statement.

Already looking forward to next year! GO WARRIORS!!!!!

Ilaoa Invited

Stephen Tsai writes in The Warrior Beat that Nate Ilaoa received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine in February.

All of the NFL general managers and head coaches, as well as their scouting departments, will be attending the week-long series of tests in Indianapolis.
Ilaoa joins center Samson Satele, right tackle Dane Uperesa, free safety Leonard Peters and defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis. Defensive end Melila Purcell III and left tackle Tala Esera also are expected to receive invitations.

Congratulations to Nasti!

Congratulations to Boise State

Holy crap, I had to go to a family function and missed an incredible game. Even though the Broncos have been a bane to the Warriors the past few years, and I really really wish we beat them this year, I'm glad they represented the WAC well in their game against Oklahoma from the big bad BCS. Shut a lot of the haters up, and that's always a good thing. So congrats to BSU and the WAC! Who knows, next year the Warriors may get their chance to shine!

Happy 2007!

Hope you haven't broken any of your resolutions already.

I hope Herman Frazier's New Years resolutions are to get June Jones signed to a 20-year contract and to schedule some great teams for next year, and beyond!

I hope Colt Brennan's resolution is to come back to UH to win a WAC championship and attain the mythical undefeated season the hairy oracle prophesied all those years ago.

I hope Jerry Glanville's resolution is to return to UH with his big bag and help the Warrior defense to hit just as ferociously as it did this year while improving even more!

I hope the resolution of the entire Warrior coaching staff is to come back, though I know Mouse Davis may be retiring. If so, I hope Mouse's resolution is to play lots of golf in Hawaii and be a Mousefather consultant that June can ring up any time for some advice and/or tee times.

I hope the resolutions for all the returning UH players is to train hard, study harder and come back in the fall a force to be reckoned with, striking fear into the hearts of opposing coaches and players (whoever they may be) throughout the land!

You always hope the next year will be better, and I think it will be, but I definitely don't want to take the 2006 season for granted because a season like this doesn't come around often and will not be easy to surpass. The Honolulu Advertiser named the 2006 Warriors as their sports story of the year, with Colt Brennan as their sportsperson of the year. Take another look at the accomplishments in this giant blockquote.

But excitement surrounding Brennan and UH football — whether it was at Aloha Stadium, in sports bars, or at homes with pay-per-view — covered 14 games, and dominated daily talk radio and Internet blogs.

Brennan's accomplishments were mind-boggling.

He finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. He won the Sammy Baugh Trophy as college football's best passing quarterback. He earned All-America second-team honors from College Football News, third team by The Associated Press, and was a finalist for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award.

Brennan's statistics were off the charts.

He set NCAA single-season records for touchdown passes with 58 and for passing efficiency (185.96). Passing efficiency factors yards, touchdowns, completion percentage and interceptions — one of the best indicators of a quarterback's success.

"That means Colt had the best season (for a quarterback) in (NCAA) history," Jones said. "It takes into account everything. Unbelievable."

"To set the (efficiency) record is awesome," Brennan said. "I have to thank my teammates for being so good. And to coach Jones and to (quarterback) coach (Dan) Morrison and all of the coaches as well."

Brennan also finished No. 1 in the NCAA in other statistical categories, including passing yards and total offense.

Another remarkable statistic: Brennan accomplished all this while not playing the fourth quarter in six blowout victories.

Led by Brennan, UH also established numerous records, including an NCAA mark for most points in a season (657, 46.9 points a game), a school-record nine-game winning streak and a school-record-tying 11 victories while making Jones the winningest UH football coach (64 wins).

It fulfilled a preseason prediction by center Samson Satele, who said, "We'll be scoring at least five touchdowns a game; that's what I think."

Read the article for the rest of the top 10 sports stories in Hawaii. Here's to an awesome 2007!

GO WARRIORS!!!!!