Throughout the course of fall camp, HawaiiAthletics.com will provide a breakdown of the 2019 Rainbow Warrior football team, position-by-position, as the team prepares for its home season opener against Arizona on Saturday, Aug. 24.
It was running back by committee last season and all of UH's top rushers are back for the 2019 season. Offensive coordinator and running backs coach
Brian Smith returns five players and with the Run-n-Shoot in its second year, the running back position remains a key role to the success of the offense.
"They're the 'SuperBacks' because they have to do everything for us," Smith says. "They have to be the sixth lineman back there in protection, they have to be able to make plays in space, they have to be able to run the ball physically, and finally there are times where they need to catch balls out of the backfield. They do it all."
Returnees
2018 RBs lost:
Elijah Dale,
Genta Ito,
Mel Davis
The Ones To Watch: Senior thumper
Dayton Furuta enters his second season as a running back after moving from linebacker. Coach Smith: "Dayton's development came from the comfort of playing the position. He picked up a lot of defensive recognition fast from having a defensive background and now he's anticipating a lot better in the run game. He's running and cutting more fluidly— he's looking more like a big running back out there."
Junior speedster
Fred Holly III combined for a trio of 100-yard performances with Furuta last season. "Fred is a guy that can do everything for us," Smith said. "He's solid in protection and he's good in the run game. A big focus for him was yards after contact and getting him to play physical and he's done a great job embracing that. He's had a lot of after-contact yards throughout fall camp."
Hekili Keliiliki was a special-teams standout as a redshirt freshman and could see more time as a runner this year. "Hekili has come a long way in terms of developing and he will continue to add depth to the unit," said Smith.
Bam Bam: Nicknamed for his explosive and shifty play, sophomore
Miles Reed provides a change of pace off the bench. "Miles has physically developed," Smith said. "He's gotten a lot stronger in this last offseason and that's helped him become more explosive. He's more confident in protection and is more physical."
Numbers To Know: UH returns 1,449-of-1,534 yards (94.4 percent) of its rushing production from a season ago (QB
Cole McDonald's 359 yards included).
Diversity U: Keliiliki, who is a Hawaiian descent, went to high school in Arkansas and is fluent in Mandarin after serving a two-year mission in Brisbane, Australia.
All in the Family: Kaimana and
KK Padello are one of two sets of brothers on this year's team, joined by twin brothers Kila and
Kalani Kamakawiwo'ole.
Commitment to Service: KK Padello moved from linebacker to running back during the spring, an unselfish move that reflects the senior's character. The native Mililani, O'ahu has been a member of the Hawai'i Army National Guard throughout college and Coach Smith raves about his leadership and service: "KK is just a great teammate to everybody. He brings leadership to not only the running back unit but also the entire team because the commitment he's made to the National Guard and to serve our country. His teammates respect that a ton. He had to take time off during the summer camp because he was stationed in Fort Knox for military training. The players have a lot of respect for his commitment to service and the attention to detail he has in his life."
Coach Smith's Last Word: "We have a lot of depth. It's great to have three guys that played a lot come back from last year. They are all recognizing situations really well and they all are running and finishing well. There's a lot of confidence with this whole group in the backfield."
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