A look back shows that the University of Hawaii secondary has rarely been among the nation's best. Oh sure, once in a while a Bryan Addison, Dana McLemore, Rich Miano, Jeris White or Hal Stringert comes along, but as a group, beleaguered is a word that comes to mind.
Professor J decided to break that trend by hiring one of the defensive backs on that list to command his secondary. Granted, Miano isn't a prototype NFL back, but his work ethic surpassed most of his peers.
Now, he asks the same of the young defensive backs who dot the defensive secondary depth chart. There are a couple of freshmen over here, and a junior or two over there, who support senior starters Feiamma Armstrong and Dee Miller.
"Dee is one of the best defensive backs to ever come out of here," Miano flatly said. "Once he got accustomed to our system, he became the best safety in our conference and one of the best in the nation."
The Mississippi man shys away from that kind of praise. He prefers to let his actions do the talking. And that they do. Last year, Miller finished third on the team in tackles with 82. He also had four recovered fumbles and three interceptions.
"A lot of people around the country are still nonbelievers in this team," Miller said. "But we're here to change all that. We feel like we can do even better than last year. We just have to go out on the field and prove it."
Where Miller is reserved, Armstrong is outspoken. But both believe the secondary is sound in mind and body. Talented starters Nate Jackson and Shawndel Tucker tend to agree. Jackson is the enforcer at free safety and Tucker is turning into quite a cover man for Miano.
Who's backing them up is something of a concern for defensive coordinator Kevin Lempa, especially at corner. But Miano has three freshmen waiting in the wings -- second-year man Gary Wright, and newcomers Abraham Elimimian and Tyson Hampton -- who will be four-year players in the program.
"My main concern with our backups at corner is lack of experience," Lempa said. "But once some of these guys get some playing time, I believe they'll make a good impact on this team."
Local products Jacob Espiau at safety and Hyrum Peters at corner are also going to see some serious minutes, proving Professor J may be on the right track.
At these positions
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| LEFT CORNER BACK |
| 21 | SHAWNDEL TUCKER* | 5-9 | 170 | SR. |
| HOMETOWN: LOS ANGELES |
| 27 | GARY WRIGHT | 5-10 | 191 | FR. |
| HOMETOWN: KAILUA |
| STRONG SAFETY |
| 17 | DEE MILLER* | 6-0 | 197 | SR. |
| HOMETOWN: SOUTHAVEN, MISS. |
| 24 | TAVIS CAMPBELL | 6-0 | 216 | SR. |
| HOMETOWN: OAKLAND, CALIF. |
| FREE SAFETY |
| 12 | NATE JACKSON* | 5-10 | 168 | JR. |
| HOMETOWN: WAIANAE |
| 3 | JACOB ESPIAU | 5-10 | 190 | JR. |
| HOMETOWN: KAILUA |
| RIGHT CORNERBACK |
| 34 | FEIAMMA ARMSTRONG* | 5-8 | 170 | SR. |
| HOMETOWN: MERCED, CALIF. |
| 33 | HYRUM PETERS | 5-8 | 182 | FR. |
| HOMETOWN: LAIE |
* Denotes starter
