HAWAII FOOTBALL
Starting is primary, not secondary, to 2 UH DBs
Former Hawaii high school standouts Tausaga and Galdeira climb the spring depth chart
Guyton Galdeira and C.J. Tausaga were outstanding high school football players at Kamehameha and Aiea.
But at the Division I college level, they're going to have to take advantage of every edge possible just to get in the lineup.
The walk-on cornerbacks are doing just that as Hawaii spring practice winds down.
Five holdovers expected to compete for playing time at cornerback in 2006 are either not in camp or trying other positions. And around a half-dozen prospective corners arrive in August.
Also, it looks like veterans Ryan Keomaka and Keao Monteilh could be back in the fall after clearing up off-field issues.
So Galdeira and Tausaga are making the most of the window they have right now, when they get the coaching attention and the repetitions with the first and second defensive units.
Galdeira has been with the first team at right corner all three weeks of spring camp, and Tausaga has been among those spelling him while A.J. Martinez and others have handled the left side.
Galdeira, now a sophomore, tried to walk-on to the Warriors on the first day of school in 2004, but there was no room for him. He was brought on to the team at midseason when injuries left UH with barely enough defensive players to hold practice. And that was his job that fall -- to practice.
With injuries again plaguing the Warriors secondary last season, Galdeira got into seven games and made four tackles.
Although he wants more than to hold the starting spot for someone else when the games start in the fall, Galdeira understands the odds are against him. But he also knows he has a unique opportunity.
"It took a while to move up the depth chart. I know there are a lot of recruits coming in," he said after yesterday's practice. "I've just got to keep doing what I'm doing, what it took to get where I am now."
Secondary coach Rich Miano said the 5-foot-7, 170-pound Galdeira's competency could negate his lack of physical gifts.
"I think Guyton will be in the mix. C.J. may be a little longer away. But I think Guyton is the kind of kid who can play for us and help us in certain situations. Right now, unless some of these guys come and take his job, he's right there," Miano said.
"Guyton is so technically good at what he does. He's been well-coached at Kamehameha. He's quick, but he's not super fast," the coach added. "You wish he were a little taller, but he does everything correctly. Making plays, gaining more confidence."
The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Tausaga did exactly that yesterday, picking off a pass during team drills.
"C.J. is like the JV Guyton Galdeira. He's well-coached, focused," Miano said. "And both of them are such great kids, great people. The kind who volunteer for things like community service. You can't say enough about them as people. All they need is height and big-time speed. Other than that they're competitive and really good football players."
Defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville wants to build enough depth so that he has enough faith in at least two full strings of players that he can put them on the field in any situation.
While that means four cornerbacks (or eight, counting special formations), Tausaga said he's still shooting for the top spot, despite the vast competition.
"Not a lot of people want to be on the second team. We're battling for the first. I know Coach Glanville's theory is to have 22 out there. But we're not competing for second, we're competing for first. If we come second, so be it. Then we just have to improve."
Tausaga, who led Aiea to a Division II state championship two years ago, also knows August will bring a bundle of players who want what status he may have earned this spring.
"The advantage we have is we know the plays and are able to work on them in the spring," said Tausaga, who helped coach at his alma mater last fall. "Athletic ability, they have athletic talent, and we haven't seen what they can do yet. We see what we've done."
Galdeira and Tausaga could probably be stars at small colleges, but this is their choice.
"It was always my dream to play college football," Galdeira said. "I wasn't recruited very much out of high school, but I could've gone to Division III, size-wise. But I was thinking either go big or go home."