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.
The Rainbow Warriors are in solid shape in the kicking game with the return of Aussies
Ryan Meskell (PK) and
Stan Gaudion (P). Junior college transfer
Wyatt Tucker will have his first crack at filling the long-snapper role, vacated by graduating senior
Noah Borden.
"I'm excited about the energy that everyone is bringing… I'm excited to pick up where we left off in the spring in terms of the drills. I think it's important for guys to be able to remember techniques and schemes, so we can improve on the little details. I'm excited," said special teams coach
Michael Ghobrial.
Returnees
Newcomers
| Special Teams |
Pos |
Ht |
Wt |
Cl |
Hometown (Last School) |
| Harry Hill |
PK |
6-0 |
200 |
Fr. |
Hōlualoa, Hawai'i (Konawaena HS) |
2018 specialists lost:
Noah Borden (LS)
The Ones To Watch: Meskell enjoyed a stellar year as a junior, finishing second in the Mountain West in field-goal accuracy (.833, 15-of-18)....he earned the team's Most Improved Player Award and earlier this summer earned a spot on the Lou Groza Award watch list for the nation's best placekicker...Gaudion has been consistent in his first two seasons at UH and has just one touchback in 107 career attempts....Ghobrial says: "Meskell has brought a level of maturity in terms of mental game and preparation. He and Gaudion have worked extremely hard this offseason just to get bigger, faster, and stronger and its shown with the types of punts and kicks they're able to hit. They both have worked their tails off to showcase what they can do this season."
Numbers To Know: UH has the second longest streak in the country at 128 games without allowing a punt block....UH last had a punt blocked against Notre Dame in 2008.
Calm, Cool, and Collected: Ghobrial on
Wyatt Tucker's development: "His redshirt season helped him evolve in the weight room— he's more accurate and stronger. I'm excited to see what he can do. He's calm, cool, and collected. I try my best to get into his head and see how he responds but there is no fazing that kid. He's a confident long snapper with college experience. I think the transition from
Noah Borden to Tucker will be seamless, all he has to do is prove it."
#KnowYourBows: The only kicking addition to Ghobrial's unit is Big Island native Harry Hill, who holds the state record for the longest field goal after connecting on a 58-yard free kick in high school...Ghobrial said: "I'm excited to see Harry's transition from a maturity standpoint...he's a strong-legged kid that deserves every right to kick in college. From what I've seen so far, he has the ability to be a college kicker."...
Big Ben: While Guadion is the team's primary punter, senior
Ben Scruton is plenty capable as the back-up...Ghobrial says: "Ben is probably one of the strongest guys in the weight room, pound-for-pound. He has an NFL type of leg and I know he cares a lot about football. He's put in a lot of work, so I'm excited to see how he continues to progress."
Up For Grabs: Redshirt senior
Justice Augafa was the primary kick and punt returner last season but Ghobrial says both positions are still up for grabs, "We have a lot of talent competing for both positions. We're seeing who has the ability to catch the football and own the football— there's a fair amount of guys who have the ability to do that. If I see return traits in receivers or DBs, I'm going to give these guys opportunities in practice to show me if they have the ability to do so in a game. It's a work in progress but we have a good pick of the litter."
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie: Three of UH's four kickers on the roster hail from Down Under...both
Stan Gaudion and
Ben Scruton are from Melbourne, while
Ryan Meskell comes from the Gold Coast.
The Last Word: Ghobiral said: "It's always pressing to get better with coverage units. I think it's so important because of the dynamic returners in the Mountain West and non-conference slates. There's been a heavy stress in kickoff and punt coverage principles—we need to ensure that our defense is put into good position to start their series."
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