The waiting can indeed be the hardest part.

After beginning their college careers scattered across the country, the allure of returning home drew a handful of defensive linemen back to Hawaii. And after enduring the NCAA-mandated waiting period as transfers, they enter the competition in full while boosting the Warriors' line depth this spring.

“;I'm just happy to be out here with the boys, people I know, people I grew up playing against,”; said tackle Kaniela Tuipulotu, who returned to Hawaii after two years at Arizona. “;Just love the feeling of competing with them at this level.”;

Tuipulotu, Josh Manupuna (Portland State) and Kamalu Umu (Charleston Southern) enrolled at UH last year and sat out the season due to transfer rules. Kapono Rawlins-Crivello (Boise State) moved back following the 2007 season to be closer to his family as his mother battled cancer, and had to wait until this spring to join the Warriors.

“;Everybody comes in with a different story, everybody has different experiences, and those experiences are what we'll draw on,”; UH defensive line coach Tony Tuioti said.

“;For guys like Kamalu and Kaniela, remember how frustrating it was when you had to sit back and not play, so when you're starting to feel tired and sorry for yourself, those are the things you go back to. To put you back in focus as far as the big picture.”;

Ryan Eastman played against UH in 2008 and gave up a scholarship at Weber State to walk on with the Warriors. Just as the other transfers sat out last year, Eastman will bide his time with the scout team this season before becoming eligible.

“;I played against them two years ago,”; Eastman said, “;now I want to be the one playing at Aloha Stadium defending it.”;

Tuipulotu spent most of the fall recovering from shoulder surgery, and Wednesday's start of spring practice marked his first on-field action since his final game of the 2008 season with Arizona.

An all-state pick from Kahuku in 2006, Tuipulotu broke into the Wildcats' line rotation as a true freshman and started seven games as a sophomore.

“;It was a great experience, being up there and being away from home again,”; said Tuipulotu, who's from Lahaina but graduated from Kahuku. “;I had to grow up real fast. Mom and dad weren't going to be there and I had to be accountable for everything.”;

But with injuries likely dictating a redshirt year, he decided, “;it was time to pack up and start all over.”; After sitting out the fall, he's in the mix at defensive tackle, currently running with the second unit.

Like Eastman, Rawlins-Crivello knows what it's like to enter Aloha Stadium as the visitor. He played on special teams when the Warriors defeated Boise State on their way to the Sugar Bowl. He was back the following month as well to play in the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

“;It was an interesting situation,”; Rawlins-Crivello said. “;On the field, it's all business, and off the field I still have all my friends, now who I play with and back then I was playing against.”;

It wasn't long after the season when his mother, Lori-Lei, was diagnosed with breast cancer, prompting Rawlins-Crivello to make a more permanent move home.

“;My family has always been an important factor in my life, and I've always based a lot of things around my family,”; said Rawlins-Crivello, a Kamehameha graduate originally from Molokai.

Because he transferred within the conference, he had to sit out two years before being eligible and enters this season as a senior. With his mother's cancer now in remission, Rawlins-Crivello's spring focus is centered on moving up the charts at defensive end.

Umu also joins the Warriors as a senior defensive end and took the most meandering path to arrive back home.

After graduating from Saint Louis, he attended Arizona Western for two years, then signed with Charleston Southern, due in part to a family housing program that would allow his wife and newborn child to accompany him. But after playing the 2008 season with the Buccaneers, he too decided to continue his journey back to Hawaii.

He emerged as a valuable member of the scout team, but hopes to make a more tangible impact on game days this fall.

“;It's way different,”; said Umu, whose cousin Marcus, a Saint Louis defensive back, signed with UH in February. “;You can feel the adrenaline running; now you know you have a chance to play.

“;Happy to be home and be part of this team.”;

Hitting time

After two practices in helmets and jerseys, the Warriors put on the pads for the first time this spring for today's 7 a.m. practice.

“;It'll give us a chance to see where we're at on both sides of the ball,”; Tuioti said. “;The first day, pad level's going to be high, people are going to be anxious.

“;The best case you can ask for is that you get what you want out of it without getting anyone hurt.”;

On the mend

Defensive end Elliott Purcell hopes to make his spring debut next week. Purcell sat out the first two practices while recovering from a sprained ankle. He started eight games last season and began the spring atop the depth chart at left defensive end.