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2022 Position Breakdown: Special Teams

Throughout the course of fall camp, HawaiiAthletics.com will provide a breakdown of the 2021 Rainbow Warrior football team, position-by-position, as the team prepares for its home season opener versus Vanderbilt on Saturday, Aug. 27. 
 
In the last four years, UH has finished no higher than 75th in special teams efficiency. And while the Rainbow Warriors have a standout kicker in Matthew Shipley, last year saw the team stumble in a number of other areas inl punt protection, kick coverage and kick return.  

Associate Head Coach and special teams coordinator Thomas Sheffield looks to change the team's fortunes and is starting with a back-to-basics approach. 

"Technique and fundamentals are the most important pieces and the details that go into every step and every placement," Sheffield said. "Every little detail is what we are focusing on. We are not focusing on the scheme right now, the scheme will come."

"The mission is to positively and efficiently affect the drive start average for both the offense and the defense. There's a lot of yards that are being played for on special teams. We want to make sure those explosive plays go in our favor rather than in the opponent's favor."



Returnees
 
 Name  Pos  Ht   Wt  Cl   2021 Stats
 Kyler Halvorsen  PK  6-2  180  So.  64.0 yards per kick off, 40 touchbacks
 Ben Falck  P  6-6  220  Jr.  1 GP
 Matthew Shipley  PK/P  6-1  175  Jr.  18-of-21 FG; 42-42 XP-A, 41.5 yards per punt


                              



2021 specialists lost: Adam Stack, Wyatt Tucker

Newcomers
 
 Name  Pos   Ht   Wt  Cl Hometown (Last School)
 Solomon Landrum  LS  5-11  215  Jr.  Hattiesburg, Miss. (Mississippi)
 Scotty Atkinson  LS  5-10  185  Jr.  Burlingame, Calif. (College of San Mateo)





Double Duty: Matthew Shipley will take on both place kicking and punting duties for the second straight year. The junior enjoyed a stellar sophomore campaign in which he drilled 18-of-21 field goals and converted all 42 of his PATs. He was a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, a first for a UH player since Jason Elam three decades ago. Not surprisingly, he is on the award's watch list heading into this season. 

"I expect him to meet the standard that he set," Sheffield said. "Last year he was in the high 80s in field goal percentage. He's showed that he's capable of doing that and so we  got to go and repeat or exceed it."

"There's a lot of factors that go into Shipley's success that many people don't really see or understand. It depends on that snap, it depends on that hold. Making sure he has teammates who he's the most comfortable with is going to determine his success."

Snap And Hold: Wyatt Tucker, who started the last three years at long snapper is gone. A trio of players - Scotty Atkinson, Kamuela Borden and Solomon Landrum are in a battle for the open spot. Atkinson is a junior transfer from the College of San Mateo while Landrum spent a season af Ole Miss after winning a junior college national championship at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC. Borden's older  brothers Kawika (2011-13) and Noah (2015-18) were successful long snappers for the Warriors.

Backup punter Ben Falck and quarterback Jake Farrell are the candidates to replace Adam Stack as the holder on place kicks. 

Waiting In the Wings: Sophomore Kyler Halvorsen is another big leg for the Warriors to lean on.  Halvorsen finished ninth in the nation in kickoff average (64.0 yards) and produced touchbacks on more than half of his kickoffs. 

"He's one of the best in the entire country," Sheffield said.. "It's not just on kick-off. That guy brings so much to the table. A lot of Shipley's success is because of how Kyler pushes him every day. If anything were to ever happen to Shipley, we could put Kyler in and we would feel just as comfortable. It allows me to sleep a little easier at night." 

Return To Form: Nothing can change the momentum of a game quite like an explosive return. Numerous players are in the mix at kickoff and punt returns. Cornerback Jalen Perdue, who took over return duties in the last two regular-season games of 2021, is a top candidate on kickoffs. Newcomers JoJo Forest and Chuuky Hines are also in the mix  A number of explosive players look to take on punt return duties, including Dedrick Parson, Dior Scott, James Phillips and dynamic newcomer Tylan Hines.  

Coach's Notes: Sheffield has brought energy to the special team's unit with his "RIde or Die" philosophy. It's a life's creed, but one that is particularly apt for his unit. "I want our kids and our coaches to build this foundation and this love and relationship for each other that wer'e willing to sacrifice everything and anything for each other. It's a selfless act. Kinda like playing special teams is a selfless deal."

Sheffiield, who was hired as the associate head coach after coaching alongside Chang the previous  two seasons at Nevada, has also fully embraced the  "Braddhahhood" movement at UH with the slogan emblazoned on his forearm.
 
#HawaiiFB



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Players Mentioned

Ben Falck

#86 Ben Falck

PK
6' 6"
Sophomore
Jake Farrell

#5 Jake Farrell

QB
6' 5"
Freshman
Jalen Perdue

#13 Jalen Perdue

DB
5' 10"
Junior
James Phillips

#3 James Phillips

RB
5' 9"
Junior
Dior Scott

#25 Dior Scott

RB
5' 9"
Senior
Matthew Shipley

#2 Matthew Shipley

PK/P
6' 1"
Sophomore
Adam Stack

#96 Adam Stack

PK/P
6' 2"
Junior
Wyatt Tucker

#44 Wyatt Tucker

LS
5' 10"
Senior
Kamuela Borden

#80 Kamuela Borden

TE
6' 4"
Junior
Kyler Halvorsen

#46 Kyler Halvorsen

PK/P
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Ben Falck

#86 Ben Falck

6' 6"
Sophomore
PK
Jake Farrell

#5 Jake Farrell

6' 5"
Freshman
QB
Jalen Perdue

#13 Jalen Perdue

5' 10"
Junior
DB
James Phillips

#3 James Phillips

5' 9"
Junior
RB
Dior Scott

#25 Dior Scott

5' 9"
Senior
RB
Matthew Shipley

#2 Matthew Shipley

6' 1"
Sophomore
PK/P
Adam Stack

#96 Adam Stack

6' 2"
Junior
PK/P
Wyatt Tucker

#44 Wyatt Tucker

5' 10"
Senior
LS
Kamuela Borden

#80 Kamuela Borden

6' 4"
Junior
TE
Kyler Halvorsen

#46 Kyler Halvorsen

6' 0"
Freshman
PK/P