Komine, Moenoa to Spring football starts Monday for Hawaii, and at least two Warriors will experiment at new positions, UH coach June Jones said.
try on new positions
in spring practice
The Warriors will go through camp
without a defensive coordinatorBy Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.comJunior inside receiver Britton Komine gets a look at wide receiver and junior Uriah Moenoa, who started at right tackle the last two seasons, moves in at right guard.
Komine played all 14 games last season, catching 58 passes for 886 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns. The Warriors also have Chad Owens and Nate Ilaoa returning at inside receiver; those two caught 93 passes between them, but also missed a combined six games because of injuries.
"We've got five or six slots who are legitimate starters," Jones said. "The unknown is we're losing Justin Colbert. We're going to look at Britton out there a little bit and make sure we get the best players on the field."
Colbert, the three-year starter at "X" (left wide receiver), led UH in receptions, receiving yards and receiving yards per game last year.
Moenoa has started 26 consecutive games on the UH offensive line. The first 25 were at right tackle, but he was moved to left tackle for the ConAgra Foods Hawaii Bowl as starter Wayne Hunter was held out of the game.
Moenoa had a brief trial at center last spring before he was moved back to right tackle. He replaces second-team All-American Vince Manuwai at right guard.
In other UH football news:
>> Junior Chad Kapanui will work out at safety and linebacker. He won't try out at quarterback for a third time this spring, Jones said.
>> Ilaoa will not participate in spring drills, as he recovers from shoulder surgery, Jones said. He dealt with a subluxed shoulder and a strained hamstring most of last fall.
Jones said Ilaoa will play this fall, and not go on a religious mission yet.
>> Senior defensive tackle Lui Fuga could get an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA because of a season-ending ankle injury he suffered in UH's first game last fall, when he was a junior.
But the Warriors won't be able to petition for the extra year until the end of the upcoming season.
>> Removal of the AstroTurf and installation of the new Fieldturf surface at Aloha Stadium is expected to progress on schedule, said Tau Harrington, sports event consultant for the Hawaii Tourism Authority.
"I was out at the stadium (yesterday) and they were doing the final measurements," Harrington said.
The work is scheduled to begin Monday.
>> UH will go through spring football without a defensive coordinator to replace Kevin Lempa, who resigned last month, Jones said.
The names of defensive backs coach Rich Miano and Hawaiian Islanders coach Cal Lee have come up as potential replacements. Another possibility is associate head coach George Lumpkin, who was UH defensive coordinator for Bob Wagner in 1995.
Lumpkin, who is coaching the linebackers, said he'll do the job again if asked.
"I'll do what June wants, that's the bottom line," he said.
>> Renewal letters go out to season-ticket holders in mid-April, athletic director Herman Frazier said. The season-ticket holders received letters last week explaining the new premium seating setup.
A new rate schedule for pay-per-view will be revealed soon. The prices are expected to be considerably higher than last year's $12.95 per game on Oahu and $5 on the neighbor islands.
>> Jones said there is no news about his contract negotiations.
"I haven't worried about it lately," he said. "I haven't even talked with Herman (Frazier) or (agent) Leigh (Steinberg) about it."
The upcoming season is the final one in Jones' five-year deal that compensates him around $400,000 per year.
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