Hawaii football: Kai Kaneshiro straps up at nickelback
Kai Kaneshiro’s natural instincts have been unleashed.
Kaneshiro, a Saint Louis School graduate who’s in his second fall camp with Hawaii, is still a defensive back. But in the spring, the UH coaches switched him from cornerback to nickelback going into his redshirt freshman season.
It boils down to proximity for the 6-foot-2 youngster with hybrid talents.
“I actually really like the switch to be more closer to the ball. I’m always around it. I really like it,” Kaneshiro said Wednesday. “I like having that run blitz and being at linebacker depth. Corner is going to be comfortable for me; I like using the sidelines. I mean, any defensive back position I’m good with.”
Redshirt freshman Kai Kaneshiro, a Saint Louis alumnus, talks about his switch from a #HawaiiFB cornerback to nickelback and bringing the energy on the first day of full-pad 11-on-11 action. pic.twitter.com/26eAGCBKXE
— Hawaii Warrior World (@hawaiiwworld) July 31, 2019
Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said of Kaneshiro that it felt like last season the team wasn’t “utilizing all of his talents,” noting his knack for striking and plugging run fits (gaps).
“He’s been a corner for most of his life. He’s been a high school corner,” Batoon said. “So he possesses really, really good speed as a corner. He’s a longer corner, and I just feel like his mentality, he’s a physical guy, he’s got a physical mentality, his nature. Moving him closer to the box really helps (him) really bring out his whole package. If we left him out at corner, I think he’s very good, and he can go back and help us out if we get in a pinch.”
Kaneshiro was a beneficiary of 2018’s first-year NCAA rule on football redshirts. He participated in the maximum-allowed four games (at Colorado State, Utah State, UNLV, Louisiana Tech), even making a start, to keep his redshirt year intact. He recorded all six tackles on the season against Utah State.
He then enjoyed a promising spring game. By then, he’d acclimated to the zone schemes that weren’t present at Saint Louis, which he said was “man 24/7.”
Wednesday was the first time this fall the Rainbows strapped up full pads and engaged in 11-on-11 sessions with them. Head coach Nick Rolovich credited the defense for its spirited play afterward. (Stephen Tsai compiled some observations and noted big plays.)
Kaneshiro said the defense is “always going to be hyped” regardless of the quality of the defensive play just made.
“We’re all going to love each other. There’s no hate if you do a bad play or a good play. It’s the same energy,” he said.
His favorite play of the day? A pass breakup by freshman linebacker Darius Muasau out of Mililani High.
“It was a quick RPO game. He read it really good and cracked it,” Kaneshiro said.
For the remainder of fall camp leading into the Aug. 24 season opener against Arizona, Kaneshiro, an honor-roll student as a Crusader (a heady complement to his back-to-back Open Division state championships), is concerned more of the mental than the physical.
“I just want to make sure I can hold my disguises and hold my alignments, and basically just get every single assignment that I need to get down, down,” he said. “I don’t want to have any mental errors; I want to almost be perfect with my coverage. It’s all about my technique and mental preparations. I should get all of that stuff down.”
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Rolovich gave outgoing head athletic trainer Eric Okasaki a tribute before and after Wednesday’s practice, which fell on Okasaki’s last official day. Okasaki served at UH for 46 years, including when Rolovich played quarterback for Manoa.
The final final. Congrats Eric Okasaki, 43 years at @HawaiiAthletics. Ohh the stories he could tell. #AppreciateItE pic.twitter.com/YpPYTNLus2
— Nick Rolovich (@NickRolovich) July 31, 2019
#HawaiiFB coach Nick Rolovich pays tribute to retiring head athletic trainer Eric Okasaki (46 years at UH), whose last day on the job is today. pic.twitter.com/M8isi7b7Q5
— Hawaii Warrior World (@hawaiiwworld) July 31, 2019
UH athletics then offered a tribute of its own.
Aloha E! After all these past years at UH and quite a few with the Rainbow Wahine Softball Program, enjoy “your time” in retirement! Thanks for all the memories!! https://t.co/LZe2TfiOXU
— Bob Coolen (@UHawaiiSoftball) July 31, 2019
Watching his video, I’m thinking, Samurai Warrior.
Great write-up Brian. Keep em coming.
Okasaki. 43 or 46 years at UH? Kinda confusing for this lolo-head (drinking coffee to wake up).
Eric is da man!
It was actually 46. The balloons were incorrect.
my mind still sees him as an infielder for Murakami’s run to the college world series — believe he was the SS.
46 years ago was 1973. UH went to the 1980 World Series. The SS was Toku. Eric Tokunaga.
#7 Good job Nasti. I was trying to think who the SS was on that World Series run. Toku was a good one!
Wishing Eric all the best! He’s a really cool & nice guy. When I was at UH he was just a student trainer under Dean Adams. Appreciated him taping me before practices and taking good care of my owies.
In my much later years my buss up knee was acting up. All the doctors that treated me at UH retired. Called Eric to get an orthopedic doctor, he referred me to Darryl Kan. When I called for an appointment I was told I needed a referring physician. Told them Eric Okasaki referred me and it was magic, got the appointment! He got clout too!