2016 Hawai'i Football Fall Camp
Day 1: Into The Fire: Football Opens 2016 Camp With Strong First Day
Day 2: Football Building The Team Behind The Team
Day 3: Shells On And It's Sweet Home Hawai'i For Football Staff
Day 4: Summer Dedication Paying Off As Football Camp Rolls Into Day Four
Day 5: Football's Offensive Line Leading The Drive Into 2016
Day 6: Experienced Outside Receivers Unit Looking For Big Plays In 2016
Day 7: Returning Inside Men Provide Versatility For Football's Offense
Day 8: 'Bows Rise To Meet Challenges
Day 9: Deep, Experienced Running Backs Look To Propel Offense in 2016
HONOLULU – Passing the midpoint of fall camp on Friday, the University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors football team took to the turf field this morning at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. Friday marks the final day that UH will hold public practices. All future practices can only be attended by media and by invitation, as the team begins to turn its focus specifically on the Cal Bears.
The defense's strong play this week is a collaborative effort, but the secondary has done a solid job of locking down the passing lanes. Guiding that effort, coach
Abe Elimimian returns for his second season as one of only two coaches retained from the prior staff by first-year coach
Nick Rolovich.
Due to graduation and transfer, the Rainbow Warriors defensive backfield will have a very different starting look in 2016, as last year's reserves look to step to the challenge. At cornerback, the Warriors will have to replace both starters, in graduate
Ne'Quan Phillips and transfer
Nick Nelson. The pair combined for 101 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 21 pass breakups.
"We're looking to get better each and every practice," Elimimian said. "They've been a lot more competitive and we believe they'll be even more consistent. Last year we were pretty consistent, but some guys got banged up and the rotation got a little messed up. When they had their number called, the guys we have returning played pretty well."
UH's top two cornerback reserves last season, seniors
Jalen Rogers and
Jamal Mayo got their share of action, including some diversity in positions. Rogers played in every game and saw seven starts, including some work at safety. He registered 40 tackles with 2.0 for loss, intercepting one pass and breaking up five others. The East Tucson, Arizona native also appeared in six games in 2014 after transferring from Mesa Community College.
"He's seen this conference a lot as a senior, and has had more experience than any of the corners in terms of playing time," Elimimian said. "He's very experienced and just needs to continue to focus on the little things and understand that each and every play he's got to do what is needed—which he has done every day in practice."
His counterpart at corner, Mayo also appeared in each game, but made no starts in his first season with the Rainbow Warriors, redshirting in 2014. The Oakland-born corner tabbed 15 tackles, breaking up two passes and recovering a fumble last year.
"I'm very impressed with
Jamal Mayo; he cares about the game, he cares about getting better and he's had a tremendous offseason," Elimimian noted. "He's probably graded out the best as far as practice this camp. He's played multiple positions and has had a lot more opportunities in multiple roles this year. For him it's about developing the techniques that come with that. Last year he played pretty well when he got in the game against some tough teams, including Ohio State."
The seniors feel it's their time to step up and are right in line with the program's 'next man up' mentality.
"You can expect to see a lot of fight, a lot of heart," Rogers said. "Coming in we had a little chip on our shoulders because we feel like some people wrote us off because we lost a couple of guys."
For this senior group and a pair of redshirt freshmen, the corners feel the blessing of continuity despite the change in staff.
"It has helped people to be more comfortable," Rogers said. "We were very happy to have him back. It's important to have a great relationship with your coach and we're thankful that coach Rolo brought coach Abe back."
In retaining the position coach, it only furthered the redshirt development of
Cameron Hayes and
Rojesterman Farris II, both of whom were right on the cusp of being sent into the lineup last season. However, receiving redshirts, they both take on true rookie seasons in the 2016 campaign.
Hayes came out of Junipero Serra High School in California ranked by Scout as the 29th-best cornerback in the West Region, and 26th-best cornerback in the state. He also left high school with a healthy handful of college credits, on track to earn his undergraduate degree shortly after his sophomore playing season.
"Cam is a guy who's very quick, very smart and he's made a lot of plays in this camp," Elimimian said. "His interception numbers have gone up as he's continued to progress."
Classmate Farris comes from one of the most geographically distant mainland hometowns, hailing from Coral Springs, Fla., and has also made the most of his season with only practice reps. He was listed among the Miami Herald Top 150 recruits and second-team all-county in talent-rich Broward.
"Rojesterman has really good ability," Elimimian said. H"e can run, jump and he's smart. Those are things you look for in quality DB's. If you focus each and every play, there are opportunities for big plays; both of those guys have made big plays this camp."
Also appearing in seven games last season at cornerback, senior
Dejaun Butler figures to play multiple positions for the Warriors. He accrued 10 tackles after two solid seasons at Santa Monica College.
Freshman
Zach Wilson entered school last January and was able to go through spring practices with the unit. He recorded six interceptions as a senior at Upland High School in California. A late addition,
Tyrus Tuiasosopo also joins the program in camp, collecting five interceptions in his senior season at Issaquah High School in Washington. He is part of a long lineage of standout and professional athletes.
As the Rainbow Warriors were dinged up by the end of the year and many players were covering out-of-position roles, this season there is a notable amount of quality depth, which only spells positive things for UH in rotations and different coverage packages.
"It means a lot to be fresh," Mayo said. "We've got a lot of different packages, so having more young guys is helping us stay fresh for bigger games."
The Rainbow Warriors close off camp starting on Saturday with an evening game-styled scrimmage at Aloha Stadium. The team comes back to practice on campus for six days next week, before departing to Australia on Saturday, August 20.
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