Fall Camp: Day 12 Wrap-Ups

Stephen Tsai profiles Jake "Animal" Heun.

The Animal is a football beast.

"Jake is a typical Lattimer from the movie, 'The Program,' " Hawai'i linebacker Blaze Soares said of Jake "Animal" Heun. "He's mental. He's always making noise. He brings a lot to our linebacker corps. He's Jake. That's all I can say."

"He's an aggressive guy, man," said graduate assistant Michael Smith, who also is an aggressive guy. "He's one of the guys you like to coach. He gives you 100 percent every play."

Tsai also notes that Corey Paclebar and Steven Christian are expected to undergo season-ending surgeries.

Brian McInnis profiles Paipai Falemalu, who is learning the intricacies of the defensive end position.

Since playing linebacker for UH through spring practice, Falemalu has refined his technique to make himself an asset up front. As the second team left end behind Elliott Purcell, much of his progression — at the coaxing of his position coach, Dave Aranda, and teammates — has revolved around giving maximum effort even when he isn't sure about a particular play.

As in, don't hold back your full strength, even if you don't know what's going on.

"Coach Aranda and Coach (George) Lumpkin are real good coaches, and have helped me a lot," Falemalu said. "And my teammates help me; if they see me doing something wrong, they always say to turn your hips more, you have to club more. 'Be more violent.'

McInnis also writes about Corey Nielsen coming back to practice after being medically cleared to play. Great news.

And Dave Reardon maintains the faith in Leon Wright-Jackson.

By now, they were supposed to be bronzing his bust. Instead, they're just calling him one. Some said he was out of shape, some said he was tentative.

He was hurt. Turf toe and other maladies.

"Little nagging injuries. You just have to know you're going to play on it best you can, and it's going to hurt," Wright-Jackson says.

He's the big, fast back everyone covets. But other than one play, it just hasn't happened for him yet. The four-receiver, pass-first run-and-shoot offense isn't ideal for him, but many others have thrived running out of it.

"It's been a little frustrating. But it's in the past. There's nothing you can do about it," he says.

THERE'S ANOTHER reason I believe Leon Wright-Jackson will have a big senior season. Maybe I'm naive, but I prescribe to that notion of good things happening to good people.