Late at night, when Professor J looks at videotape of his defensive linemen, he falls peacefully asleep in his lounge chair because there are no worries here.
If there is a stronghold among the H-Men, it rests up front with the likes of seniors Joe Correia and Doug Sims, sophomores Chris Brown and Laanui Correa, and junior Mike Iosua.
Not so long ago, the Warriors were so thin along the forward wall, they went from a 4-3 to a 3-4 alignment, something not lost on Professor J. He won't always greet you with a smile should quarterbacks be the subject of the day.
But ask, "How about that defensive front?" And he breaks out into an Andy of Mayberry grin. "Did you know they barely had enough linemen here to fill out a roster?" he asks. You already know the answer is yes and say so. "Now, we've got maybe seven guys we'd feel comfortable starting."
And that list grows daily. Just ask defensive line coach Vantz Singletary who has quietly assembled one of the better defensive fronts in the league. Texas Christian may get the publicity, but it's Hawaii that's on all the coach's minds around the WAC.
As well as Correa and Correia have played this spring, it can't erase the accomplishments of Brown. He wears No. 54 in honor of Al Noga and has won a starting job despite his stature.
At 6-foot-1, 252, Brown doesn't strike fear in the eyes of a 300-pound tackle. But when he blows right past him on an outside rush, a new-found look of respect usually follows.
"Let me tell you, Chris is quite a football player," Singletary proudly points out. "He is scary good. So is Doug Sims. When he's in there, it takes two to block him."
Correia is the leader of this pack. The senior from Maui finished with 45 tackles last season, including three quarterback sacks. And this on a knee that required surgery at season's end.
His protege is freshman end Kevin Jackson. Like Correia, Jackson was a quarterback in high school who converted to defense once in college.
He and freshmen Houston Ala and Lance Samuseva, and junior college transfer Karman Saulsberry, provide the kind of depth missing from past teams. Add Miles Garner, who lost 50 pounds this summer, to the mix and it's easy to see why Professor J sleeps peacefully at night.
At these positions
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| LEFT END |
| 54 | CHRIS BROWN* | 6-1 | 256 | SO. |
| HOMETOWN: KAHALUU |
| 58 | LAANUI CORREA | 6-2 | 253 | SO. |
| HOMETOWN: HONOLULU |
| LEFT TACKLE |
| 70 | MIKE IOSUA* | 6-2 | 282 | JR. |
| HOMETOWN: SEATTLE |
| 97 | DOUG SIMS | 6-2 | 364 | SR. |
| HOMETOWN: BERKELEY, CALIF. |
| RIGHT TACKLE |
| 77 | MILES GARNER* | 6-2 | 275 | SR. |
| HOMETOWN: SAN JOSE, CALIF. |
| 99 | LUI FUGA | 6-2 | 305 | SO. |
| HOMETOWN: WAIPAHU |
| RIGHT END |
| 6 | JOE CORREIA* | 6-2 | 246 | SR. |
| HOMETOWN: PEARL CITY |
| 90 | KEVIN JACKSON | 6-4 | 246 | FR. |
| HOMETOWN: MORENO VALLEY, CALIF. |
* Denotes starter
