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[ LINEBACKERS ]
Curnan packs a lot of punch
in his 221-pound frame
Why he's good
He's small for a linebacker, but Ikaika Curnan played big last year, leading Hawaii with 121 tackles while playing the weak-side spot. He has good lateral quickness, fills holes quickly and hits hard. Those attributes should translate nicely into continued success now that he's the man in the middle of UH's defense.
Ikaika Curnan
>> Had a career-high 15 tackles
in win over Alabama last year
>> Honorable Mention all-WAC in 2003
|
X-factor
Paul Lutu-Carroll came out of nowhere (actually, from among the candidates at safety) to blow away the coaches with his playmaking ability at outside linebacker last spring. But Lutu-Carroll hurt his right knee during the first week of fall camp. If he's not ready, lots of different things could happen, including moving Curnan back outside and playing Watson Ho'ohuli or Timo Paepule in the middle, or giving talented true freshman Khevin Peoples a shot outside if he knows the schemes well enough. Junior Tanuvasa Moe is another possibility.
Style file
Bandannas, all the rage with the general public in the 1980s, are still popular among football players, especially linebackers for some reason. Curnan has a complete set. "I've got white, green, black." Which one's the gamer? "I'm kind of superstitious. I like the black."Ones to watch
The top players with the probable starter listed first:
Strongside Linebacker
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| 5 | Chad Kapanui | 6-0 | 226 | Sr. |
| 45 | Tanuvasa Moe | 5-11 | 210 | Jr. |
Middle Linebacker
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| 51 | Ikaika Curnan | 5-10 | 221 | Jr. |
| 49 | Timo Paepule | 6-0 | 241 | Fr. |
Weakside Linebacker
| NO. | PLAYER | HT. | WT. | CL. |
| 13 | Paul Lutu-Carroll | 6-0 | 215 | Sr. |
| 44 | Khevin Peoples | 5-11 | 200 | Fr. |
Linebackers coach
Cal Lee is in his second season. He was also head coach of the Hawaiian Islanders arenafootball2 team, but is best known for being the winningest high school coach in state history, at Saint Louis School.
UH Athletics
www.hawaiiathletics.com
www.hawaiiathletics.com
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