Warrior Beat

Expanded coverage of UH football, including practice notes, game analysis, recruiting info and observations on the Mountain West Conference.

About the blog host

Stephen Tsai covers University of Hawaii football for the Star-Advertiser. Follow him on Twitter @StephenTsai and sign up for the Hawaii football newsletter here: http://www.hawaiiwarriorworld.com/email-signup/

Latest news

LaCount will grayshirt this year

By Stephen Tsai on August 9, 2008

Offensive lineman Kainoa LaCount said he will grayshirt this season and join the Warriors in January. LaCount had fallen behind, missing the Warriors’ first week of training camp while he took classes at College of the Canyons. LaCount has a redshirt year available, so he still have two seasons to play for the Warriors. Meanwhile, receiver Dustin Blount is scheduled to arrive in town this afternoon. Cornerback Chris Black arrived last night. He attended today’s three-hour practice but must observe […]

Day 5: Heating up

By Stephen Tsai on August 8, 2008

Well, it was indeed hot out there as this morning practice expanded to three hours. And things heated up with the 1-on-1 drills between the linemen. The best battle was between left tackle Laupepa Letuli and right end Elliott Purcell. Let’s just say it went into overtime. • Adam Leonard, Clarence “Lafu” Tuioti-Mariner and John Fonoti did not practice because of what are termed as non-serious injuries. • Greg McMackin said he has “an idea” about a pecking order at […]

Placement tests

By Stephen Tsai on August 7, 2008

Expect a depth chart at quarterback to be established as early as the middle of next week. After that, the snaps, which currently are spread equally, will be distributed on a weighted system. The No. 1 quarterback will receive 75 percent of the snaps in 7-on-7 and team drills, and the No. 2 will get 25 percent of the snaps. The No. 3 will get mental reps. Not enough of the offense has been implemented for the coaches to set […]

Night 3: Notes

By Stephen Tsai on August 6, 2008

The Warriors had 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills for the first time this training camp. The offense received several new plays, which resulted in an uneven performance. The same menu of plays will be used this afteroon (4 p.m.-6 p.m. practice), then more plays will be added for practices Friday and Saturday. • It appears quarterback Kiran Kepo‘o will not play for the Warriors this fall. His No. 12 jersey is being given to Greg Alexander. • Running back Jake Heun […]

Speedy receiver commits to UH

By Stephen Tsai on August 5, 2008

Deondre Powell, a decorated receiver from Gahr High School in California, has accepted a football scholarship from the University of Hawai‘i. Powell, who is 5 feet 8 and 160 pounds, caught 73 passes for 1,244 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Powell’s teammate, quarterback Corey Nielsen, earlier made a verbal commitment to the Warriors. “I’m excited to be a Warrior,” Powell said. He is rated as the No. 1 returning receiver in California, according to Scout.com. He said he tries […]

Day 1: Notes

By Stephen Tsai on August 4, 2008

The Warriors completed their first practice of training camp. I apologize — AGAIN! — for the system crash. Here are some notes: • Defensive end Francis Maka said he will not play for the Warriors this season. He said his application for a sixth year was not approved. Instead, he will serve as a student assistant. He is scheduled to earn a bachelor’s degree in December. Francis Maka • Defensive lineman Geordon Hanohano said he expects to be cleared to […]

Colt throws 2 TD passes; Warriors check in

By Stephen Tsai on August 3, 2008

Colt Brennan, who started the second half, completed nine of 10 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Washington Redskins in today’s Hall of Fame Game. Here are Colt’s highlights from NFL Videos: http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d809b832b  * * * The veterans reported today, undergoing physical examinations and setting up their spaces in the two dance studios that will serve as their dormitory for the next two weeks. Here’s Blaze Soares: Defensive tackle Fale Laeli came straight from church: Jett […]

No easy answers for Graunke

By Stephen Tsai on August 2, 2008

According to several people in the know, quarterback Tyler Graunke will not have an easy time resolving the personal issues that will enable him to participate in training camp. In the best scenario, he still would fall behind in the competition to succeed Colt Brennan. The reps that were going to be spread among four quarterbacks now will go to only Inoke Funaki, Greg Alexander and Brent Raush. It’s a sad situation, especially since Graunke is truly a nice guy. […]