CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM Last season it seemed a rare blood disorder had ended Keala Watson's football career, but the Nanakuli alum is back with UH.

Watson gets
green light

Coach Jones thinks the second-year
freshman will be ready to play
in the opener against USC

They call them mental reps. If you make the most of them, it can pay off big-time when you get your chance to actually be in the drills.

Some guys mess around during mental reps. They joke or daydream, then wonder why they're lost when it's their turn to participate.

That's not part of Hawaii defensive lineman Keala Watson's makeup.

"Even though I'm on the side, my mind is still in the game," he said. "It's like I'm in there. I pick up on a lot of stuff while I'm watching. I've got the tackles and the ends assignments down already. I should be ready to jump right back in."

The second-year freshman has been taking mostly mental reps for nearly a year now, but UH coaches have no doubt the Nanakuli High graduate will be ready for the real thing -- even if some of the first physical action is Sept. 3 at Aloha Stadium against USC.

"Keala's a really smart kid. He's taking advanced courses, your basic 4.0 kind of guy," Warriors defensive line coach Vantz Singletary said. "He's like Kila (senior defensive end/linebacker Kamakawiwo'ole) in many ways. He's a big Kila. Knows the game, knows where he's supposed to be. Assignment and alignment, he understands that, technique. It's just a matter of getting him healthy."

Watson played in the first two games as a true freshman last year before it was discovered he had a rare blood disorder similar to hemophilia. It was initially thought his football career had ended.

But Watson kept showing up for practice every morning, kept taking his mental reps.

"I'm still a part of this team," he said at the time.

He went to doctors, including a blood specialist in Los Angeles. Eventually they told him he might be able to play football again without risking bleeding to death.

"That was a big obstacle. Lots of doctors," Watson said.

"They gave me some medication," he said. "We keep it over there in the equipment room because it has to be refrigerated. (A trainer) gave me these long sleeves, hopefully to avoid cuts."

But that didn't end the mental reps. Watson also had surgery for a left wrist injury he'd suffered several years ago. He's still in a cast.

"It's pretty stiff. The doctors tell me it's 75 percent healed," he said. "I just have to work on more range of motion and I can get back on the field."

Coach June Jones said he thinks Watson will be ready to play in the opener.

"I would hope that he would. There's a chance he's not going to be 100 percent with his hand, but we think he can play. He's been playing for five years like that," Jones said. "It needed to be fixed, so we fixed it. It's still sore, and he doesn't have the strength back."

Singletary said the 6-foot-2, 299-pound Watson will probably be thrown into the mix at nose tackle with Renolds Fruean, Reagan Mauia, Siave Seti, Lawrence Wilson and others.

"Wherever they need me, that's where I'll jump in," Watson said. "The trainers have been doing a good job of helping me get prepared. If anything, I'll just tape it up good and just jump in there."