With fall camp underway, HawaiiAthletics.com will breakdown the 2018 Rainbow Warrior football team, position-by-position. UH's season-opener against Mountain West rival Colorado State is less than a month away.
Part #1 Linebackers | Part #2 Secondary | Part #3 Defensive Line | Part #4 Special Teams
Part #5 Receivers | Part #6 Offensive Line | Part #7 Running Backs | Part #8 Quarterbacks
Part #2 Secondary
Starters Returning:
Manu Hudson-Rasmussen,
Rojesterman Farris II
Starters Lost:
Trayvon Henderson,
Daniel Lewis Jr.
Lettermen Returning:
Eugene Ford,
Jay Dominique,
Kalen Hicks,
Mykal Tolliver,
Ikem Okeke,
Tumua Tuinei III
Others Returning:
Cameron Hayes
Redshirts:
Akil Francisco,
Damario Mclean,
Donovan Dalton,
Zach Wilson
Newcomers:
Khoury Bethley,
Kai Kaneshiro,
Dylan Toilolo,
Alaka'i Mashima,
Kalamaku Kuewa,
Tony Cabral,
Scott Lam
While UH will need to replace safeties
Trayvon Henderson and
Daniel Lewis Jr. (a combined for 132 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and two picks last season), new defensive coordinator and safeties coach
Corey Batoon and cornerbacks coach Abe Elimimian won't have trouble finding talent, as UH returns 11 lettermen.
Among the key returnees are
Manu Hudson-Rasmussen and
Rojesterman Farris II. Hudson-Rasmussen, a senior from Tigard, Ore., and Farris, a junior from Coral Springs, Fla., were both key contributors last season. Farris started 11 games and is the secondary's leading returning tackler with 43. He also had one interception and four pass breakups. Hudson-Rasmussen appeared in 11 games with five starts, recording 21 tackles and four pass breakups.
Junior
Kalen Hicks figures to move up the depth chart after playing in all 12 games last season. He recorded 19 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sack from the safety spot. After playing two seasons at linebacker, junior
Ikem Okeke moves positions in 2018 and is a starting candidate at safety. Also returning is sophomore
Jay Dominique, who appeared in seven games as a true freshman last season.
Beside the experienced Farris, the Warriors have a number of young, up-and-coming prospects at corner. As a true freshman,
Eugene Ford played in all 12 games, while starting six games at cornerback and was also a key contributor on special teams. The Venice, Calif., native finished with 27 tackles with 20 solo stops, one interception and two pass breakups. Sophomore
Mykal Tolliver saw limited time in six games in 2017 but figures to compete for serious playing time, as will
Zach Wilson who missed majority of last year due to injury and earned a medical hardship.
Among the newcomers in the secondary are a pair of Hawai'i all-state performers - Kai Kaneshiro of Saint Louis School and Dylan Toilolo of Kapolei High School - and two-way star Khoury Bethley of Chino. Calif.
