Jordan Gomes chuckles at the recollection of the first time the Hawaii coaches sent the jittery freshman safety into the Warrior secondary.

“;Running in, didn't really know what to do, staring back at Coach asking for the play, and I ended up making the wrong call the first play,”; Gomes said of entering a tight duel with San Jose State that was ultimately decided in overtime. “;But as the game went on it got better.”;

From that “;wide-eyed”; moment last fall, Gomes put up some eye-popping numbers in the offseason in his efforts to earn more field time as a sophomore.

Gomes walked on at a relatively slight 160 pounds in 2008, and still isn't the biggest safety around at 185. Yet he ranks among the strongest defensive backs in the program, pushing senior Spencer Smith for that distinction.

In team testing, Gomes bench pressed 405 pounds and pounded out 29 repetitions at 225 pounds. The top score among the safeties at last month's NFL Combine was 28 reps.

His 34-inch vertical leap is also second among the UH defensive backs.

“;He works hard and sets a good example,”; strength coach Tommy Heffernan said.

Taking his weight-room work ethic to the field, Gomes has quietly strung together eight practices that have drawn raves from the coaches so far this spring. The sophomore made several big hits in last Saturday's scrimmage on Kauai and came down with a nifty interception of a pass over the middle during yesterday's practice.

“;He's playing as well as any of our DBs right now,”; said associate coach Rich Miano, who coordinates the secondary.

The Warriors return all of their starters in the defensive backfield. Smith and Mana Silva continue to work with the first team at the safety spots with Richard Torres joining them in nickel packages.

With the coaches honing the repetitions to the top units starting with yesterday's practice, Gomes is making the most of his reps with the second defense at safety and nickel back.

“;You have to make plays, don't make mistakes, and be consistent. That's what they're looking for,”; Gomes said.

Miano started tracking Gomes — an All-State selection as a senior at Kamehameha — when he received a call from Mike Akiu, Gomes' uncle and a former UH and NFL receiver.

Gomes was invited to walk on and redshirted in 2008. He progressed enough to earn playing time in 10 games last fall, and saw his first significant action in the secondary against San Jose State.

The Warriors implemented packages using six or more defensive backs in the second half of the season to defend third-and-long situations, giving freshmen such as Gomes and cornerback Lewis Walker a chance to get onto the field.

“;I had to study (the playbook) a lot last year just to get some playing time, get good scores on the tests,”; Gomes said. “;We had a shot to play more dime and I wanted to try to prove myself and make sure I knew my assignments.”;

Miano oversees the walk-on program and Gomes' progress follows a UH tradition of developing safeties who progressed from walk-ons to become productive performers.

“;They may not be the tallest guys, but they make up for it with explosiveness and toughness,”; Miano said.

That first play against San Jose State aside, Gomes settled down and was on the field for the Warriors' decisive stop in overtime and became a contributor in the secondary late in the season.

Balancing a rigorous class schedule with football meetings and practices remain challenges for the walk-on, as well as maintaining the bulk he worked so hard to pack on in the offseason.

“;Trying to eat with this college schedule is kind of hard,”; Gomes said, “;I don't get a lot of breakfast, but I try to eat as much as I can.”;