DEFENSIVE BACKS (DB)
JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARBULLETIN.COM
Leonard Peters, a professional Polynesian dancer in the offseason, is ready to fire up Hawaii's defense one last time.
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Warriors try to turn the corner with lots of cover guys
If you ask defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville, he'll tell you there are three positions at which his blitzing 3-4 defense must be especially strong: nose tackle and the two cornerback spots.
The nose looks somewhat stable for UH going into 2006 with Mike Lafaele and Lawrence Wilson. But heading into fall camp it was anyone's guess who the Warriors' starting cornerbacks would be Sept. 2 against Alabama.
A.J. Martinez and C.J. Hawthorne were atop the depth chart at the end of spring practice, and remained so the first few days of August. But they were to be challenged by waves of newcomers, including J.P. Davis, Gerard Lewis and Myron Newberry. Three players who started last year -- Kenny Patton, Keao Monteilh and Ryan Keomaka -- could also be in the mix for playing time. Whoever shows the best ability to cover receivers one-on-one will get the jobs.
The safety positions were much more set. The return of Leonard Peters after a sprained knee knocked him out of the 2005 season during the first game is a huge boost -- not just to the secondary, or the defense, but the entire team.
Brad Kalilimoku will learn on the job at strong safety after moving from inside linebacker. He'll be pushed by junior-college transfer Jacob Patek.
Unit at a glance
Getting the best 11 on the field
Brad Kalilimoku was fine as a linebacker last year, except that he was a little undersized at 5-feet-10 and 204 pounds. He responded with 71 tackles, third most on the team.
The year before, 2004, he was even smaller, but the Hawaii coaches had no choice -- of the few healthy players available, he was often the best choice to put on the field, despite his lack of experience. His playing time gradually increased, and the speedy and tough Kalilimoku finished his first season at UH with 29 tackles.
The emergence of Adam Leonard to go with Solomon Elimimian at inside linebacker and the completion of Lono Manners' eligibility allows Kalilimoku to move to a position he is probably better suited for physically: strong safety. The spring practice experiment went well enough to place the Roosevelt High School graduate atop the depth chart heading into fall camp.
Kalilimoku's ability to make a smooth transition to the secondary is a key to an improved Warriors defense.