Throughout the course of fall camp, HawaiiAthletics.com will provide an in-depth breakdown of the 2015 Rainbow Warrior football team, position-by-position, leading up to the first week of regular-practices in preparation for UH's season opener against against Colorado on Sept. 3.
Outside Receivers |  Inside Receivers and Tight Ends | Cornerbacks | Safeties | Special Teams: Kickers, Returners and Snappers | Quarterbacks | Defensive Line

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HONOLULU—The University of Hawai'i Rainbow Warrior football team opened its third week of fall camp, fighting through heavy mid-session showers at Cooke Practice Field Monday, getting after it in shells for the week's first practice.
 
As we continue to work through the 2015 squad, we sway back to offense today with a look at the other big guys, along the offensive front, thriving under the charge of longtime NFL lineman, assistant head coach and offensive line coach Chris Naeole.
 
The Rainbow Warrior linemen couldn't ask for a much more technically saavy mentor. At Colorado, Naeole was a three year starter, earning All-American status as a senior and a 10th overall NFL Draft Pick in the 1997 draft—at the time making the Ka'a'awa, O'ahu native the highest-select NFL pick from the islands. Naeole went on to an 11-year professional career with the New Orleans Saints and later Jacksonville Jaguars.
 
While the Rainbow Warriors must replace starters Kody Afusia and Sean Shigematsu, the 2015 offensive line has a cornerstone player in senior left tackle Ben Clarke (6-3, 295, Littleton, Colo.), who is one of the most experienced 'Bow among modern era linemen, collecting 37 consecutive career starts. Clarke's exploits have drawn notice and commendation, named to the Preseason All-Mountain West Team and selected for the Rotary Lombardi Award watch list—celebrating the nation's top lineman—for the second consecutive year.

"Any team you're on, you want a guy out there with that many career starts," Naeole said. "He's a smart football player, works hard every day, never complains and brings his hard hat and lunch pail to work every day."

Penciled in as the starting left tackle, Clarke was forced to sit out during spring practices while rehabbing an injury, which pushed the senior captain into a learning and coaching leadership post with his offensive peers.

"The other guys had to step up and take a leadership role and it helped them learn the offense more and gave me an opportunity to coach them along," Clarke noted. "I feel like when I'm on the field now, everything is slowed down, I can see the defense, know what's going on and can call the plays."

That was a simple silver-lining side effect of having the 'Bows' best lineman sidelined in the spring—the playing experience provided to the younger players who were either backups a year ago or were new to the program in January.

 

Bringing a fair share of starting experience to the interior line in 2015, sophomore Dejon Allen (6-3, 290, Compton, Calif.) playing in 12 and started 11 for UH last year, logging a 78-percent grade-out with no sacks allowed. Coming out of the spring, Allen sat atop the depth chart at right guard. Opposite Allen in the interior, classmate Elijah Tupai (6-4, 300, Taylorsville, Utah) also earned his reps last fall, appearing in 12 games and starting the final three at left guard. Both players redshirted in their rookie seasons in 2013.

 

A junior who saw his reps increase in the spring in Clarke's absence and is seeing the dividends paid now is RJ Hollis (6-4, 295, Phoenix, Ariz.), and has had a solid camp at right tackle. Before coming to UH, Hollis played at Scottsdale Community College and did not allow a sack in his lone season. Last year, he played in two plays as a backup. Also enjoying the benefits of boosted spring playing time, junior Leo Koloamatangi (6-5, 290, East Palo Alto, Calif.), played nine games in 2014, with three starts at guard—he has proven he can help the 'Bows on the interior or outside line.

Hailing from Clarke's hometown in Colorado, senior Brendan Urban is penciled in as starter at center. Though he met a setback early in camp, Urban is expected to be prepared for opening day. Last season, he missed most of camp and started six of his eight games snapping the ball for the 'Bows. At center, sophomore John Wa'a (6-4, 315, Hau'ula, O'ahu) and freshman Asotui Eli (6-4, 295, Kailua-Kona, Hawai'i) have seen a boost in their looks this fall. During the last campaign, Wa'a started two of 12 appearances and was an all-state first-teamer at Kahuku High School. Eli earned the Offensive Scout Team Award while redshirting last season and was a member of the All-USA Hawai'i Team.

 

"It's a lot better here in the fall, we've got some guys back," Naeole said. "But I've had a chance to look at the rookies and what they've got, working through the camp process. We've got a solid core group of guys and we've just got to keep working on technique and getting better to try to be the best every day."

The Rainbow Warriors have been afforded a deep and qualified recruiting class to build the line up with quality depth in 2015. A pair of junior college transfers are vying for spots in camp in junior Matt Norman (6-5, 260, Monrovia, Calif.) and sophomore Luke Clements (6-5, 300, Floresville, Texas). Norman was on campus in January and appeared as a backup at tackle on the post-spring depth chart. Playing at Fullerton College last year, Norman earned first-team all-Region III honors, aiding FC to over 4,500 yards of total offense. Coming out of tranditionally-strong Texas JuCo Blinn College, Clements anchored the pass-heavy BC offensive line at left tackle, aiding the Buccaneers to a season in which they scored an average of 55 points per game and racked up 653 yards per contest. Also joining in the youth movement is freshman J.R. Hensley (6-5, 310, Edmond, Okla.), who arrived in the summer. With Hensley at left tackle, Santa Fe High School earned a district championship and notched a 2,000-yard rusher.

Three more summer additions to the program in the freshman class are battling it out for playing time and helping coach Naeole determine if they are in the mix as depth or redshirt candidates—Arona Amosa (6-2, 285, 'Ewa Beach, O'ahu), Eperone Moananu (6-2, 285, Pago Pago, American Samoa) and Austin Webb (6-8, 310, Dallas, Texas).

Across the board, the UH O-linemen took advantage of strength coach Gary Beemer's off-season program, gaining healthy weight to add more to their athleticism and build a more solid front.

"Our linemen are athletes, we're faster than a lot of offensive linemen, but we're strong like bigger offensive," Allen noted.
And now, in addition to added strength and size, the 'Bows have numbers and the luxury of possibly redshirting some athletes for the future of the program.

"It's hard to come in here and play as a rookie," Naeole said, "you might need a year to bake in the oven."
However, the boosted numbers have also created a great competition in fall camp.

"We've been stacking good practice after good practice," Clarke said. "This is one of the best offenses we've put together since I've been here. Everything is kind of clicking and we really understand the offense."

The Rainbow Warriors return to action on Tuesday with an adjusted schedule for their second two-a-day session. Opening up at 11:00 a.m. and returning for the second push at 3:50 p.m. Due to inbound rains on Monday night, the location (Cooke Practice Field or T.C. Ching Field) will be made at a later time.