Hawaii’s Meatoga already fits in

Jeff Reinebold hadn't heard much about Vaughn Meatoga prior to working a summer camp for linemen last summer. But what he saw that week convinced the Hawaii defensive line coach that Meatoga had a future in college football.

For his part, Meatoga -- then a senior-to-be at Kamehameha -- didn't need much convincing to join a UH program he had longed to play for while growing up on Kauai. Now he's participating in his first fall camp with the Warriors.

"He's got a great first step, he's got great quickness off the line of scrimmage, which is what you need in a tackle," Reinebold said of the freshman.

Though he's one of the new guys, Meatoga worked his way in with the Warrior linemen by showing up for voluntary workouts this summer and displayed some of his potential over a solid first week of camp.

Continue article at Honolulu Star Bulletin

Ex-UH star Sopoaga getting chance as 49er nose tackle

Former University of Hawai'i defensive lineman Isaac Sopoaga of the San Francisco 49ers is getting his chance, for now.

Sopoaga finds himself in a starting role following an injury to Aubrayo Franklin, whom the 49ers signed during a busy offseason in which they picked up four possible defensive starters.

Continue Article at Link

Rookies to watch in the preseason

Miami center Samson Satele -- The 60th player selected, Satele is expected to have more of an impact this season than wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and quarterback John Beck, Miami's two higher profile selections. Satele is expected to be the Dolphins' starting center on opening day and, if the organization is right, he could be the centerpiece of the offensive line for the next dozen years. Satele is smart, tough and driven and he already is making calls for the entire offensive line. Satele has short arms -- not ideal for an offensive lineman -- but he is long on potential.

Dolphins add 5 Samoans, typify the islands' growing influx in NFL

BY ANTONIO GONZALEZ

ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

DAVIE, Fla. -- Several rookies who share one corner of the Miami Dolphins' locker room quickly formed a bond by eating together, studying playbooks together and telling jokes they say only a Samoan would find funny.

They've helped formed the "Samoan Block" - a group of six players of Polynesian descent. Five are from Samoa and one from Tonga, a neighboring island.

"It's just a little dot on the map," rookie defensive tackle Paul Soliai said.

But the South Pacific islands have long been fertile territory for the NFL, especially this year for the Dolphins.

There's Soliai, center Samson Satele, fullback Reagan Mauia, guard Tala Esera and defensive tackle Brian Soi, each a rookie. Defensive tackle Steve Fifita is Tongan and a second-year pro.

Their home is a series of Polynesian islands that are divided between the independent nation of Samoa and American Samoa, a territory of the United States, that have a combined population of about 250,000. Despite the small size, the Samoas have produced an abundance of outstanding football players - an ESPN study in 2002 estimated that a Samoan is 40 times more likely to reach the NFL than a boy growing up in the 50 states.

The Samoan Dolphins say they're not trying to segregate from the team by hanging out together; they just "understand each other," Soi said. He and Soliai are even related - they're second cousins.

"Samoans are all about respect," said Soliai, born and raised in Pago Pago, American Samoa. "You have to give it, and you have to earn it. We know that. It makes it easy to live when you have so many people on the same team that understand you."

The Samoan Dolphins communicate in their native language, but also speak fluent English. Rookie quarterback John Beck, who learned some Samoan at Brigham Young, is an honorary member of the group. They call him "the half Samoan," and his locker is also stationed on the Samoan Block.

"They called me palagi, or white boy," at BYU, Beck said. "Really, though, they are the coolest people you will ever meet."

Some 6,000 miles from Samoa, South Florida offers few comparisons - other than the steamy weather - but the six players say they haven't had a problem adjusting. Even though Samoan towns often have "one street, maybe," crowded Miami hasn't worn them down, Soliai said.

"We're always hanging around each other," Soliai said. "We're always helping each other out."

The five Samoan rookies were acquired by new coach Cam Cameron. He said the team didn't gear its draft strategy toward the island, but he likes the attitude of the Samoans and appreciates their bond.

Justin Ayat waived by Jets

The Honolulu Star Bulletin reports taht Justin Ayat has been waived.

"Justin Ayat's stint as a kicker for the New York Jets lasted less than a week. Yesterday, the NFL team waived the Kamehameha alumnus whom they had signed as a free agent on July 24.

As a Warrior, Ayat made 191 of his 209 extra-point attempts and converted 59 of 89 field goal attempts, including a career-long 56-yarder."

Ilaoa says he's a bitstar-struck in Philly

July 29, 2007 12:35 am

BY TAFT COGHILL JR.

It takes a lot to faze Nate Ilaoa.

The former North Stafford High School star wide receiver was referred to as "Nasti Nate" by his teammates at the University of Hawaii.

He rebounded with two solid seasons after missing all of 2004 at Hawaii because of knee surgery.

He's lived all over the United States, including California, Utah, Oklahoma and Missouri.

After a standout career as a collegiate running back, Ilaoa was taken in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles this past April.

But even with all his worldliness, Ilaoa admits to being a bit overwhelmed when he stepped on the field for an Eagles mini-camp earlier this summer.

"When you come out to practice and you take hand-offs from Donovan McNabb and you have to block Takeo Spikes, you realize you aren't playing with these guys on a video game anymore," Ilaoa said in a telephone interview last week. "These guys are actually real, and you're actually out there playing with them."

If being in the NFL didn't sink in to Ilaoa in mini-camp, it likely will in the coming weeks. The Eagles opened training camp yesterday at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.

The 5-foot-9, 245-pound Ilaoa signed a four-year contract with the Eagles last week.

He isn't listed as one of the top three running backs on their depth chart, but he said he plans to battle players like three-year veteran Ryan Moats and fellow rookie Tony Hunt for a spot on Philadelphia's 53-man active roster.

"I'm just going to try to make it hard for the coaches to decide," Ilaoa said. "All I can really do is put my best foot forward, and hopefully the coaches will recognize that."

Article continued at Fredricksburg.com

Reagan Mauia From the jungle to the gridiron

Former Tokay star Mauia takes unique and challenging path to NFL

By Ted Mero
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Thirteen-year-old Marquell stands a few feet back, quietly watching in awe as Reagan Mauia tells the story of how he came to be an NFL player.

Though not related by blood, Marquell is proud of the man he calls his uncle. His classmates must think it's cool that his "uncle" is on the Miami Dolphins?

"They don't believe me," Marquell says.

There was a time when Mauia wouldn't have believed it, either.

But here he stands at Delta College, returning to his former school a bit of a local hero, spending time at the Stockton campus to work out with his old coaches before heading to Florida for his first-ever NFL training camp.

To look at the 23-year-old NFL rookie and remember him from his days at Tokay High, Delta and the University of Hawaii, you might not recognize him.

The 350-pound boulder of a lineman he once was is now a fit 270-pound fullback. And the wild, bushy hair that used to burst out of the back of his helmet has been shorn, replaced by a closely cropped layer of dark brown stubble. He wears a thin, long-sleeved athletic shirt with gym shorts, and his diamond-studded earrings are the only thing flashy about him.

When asked about some of the more trying times in his life, he politely suggests a change in subject, but he speaks with a mix of candor and humility that's increasingly rare in today's professional athletes.

Perhaps it's because of the challenges he's faced on his path to the NFL. Or the maturity that fatherhood brought when his son, also named Reagan, was born three years ago. Or maybe it's as simple as "the two H's."

"I live by the two H's," Mauia explains. "Stay humble and stay hungry."

In the jungle

The son of an elementary school teacher mother and a father who worked the forklift at a cannery for StarKist Tuna, Mauia grew up poor in a backwoods jungle of American Samoa.

Mauia had no idea his family lived in poverty.

"I didn't know I was poor until I went to school and saw what other kids were wearing," said Mauia, the third youngest of six children. "We were at the bottom."

Despite a lack of income, Mauia enjoyed his childhood, living among waterfalls and horsing around with his older brothers.

"My childhood was a happy one," he said.

That wasn't always the case, however, as his three older brothers often gave him a tough time. Mauia recalls an incident when he was 6, his older brother carried him up to the rocks at the top of a waterfall, telling him the only way he'd get home was to jump into the pool of water below and swim his way back.

Reagan Mauia poses for a quick picture with his father, Pili Mauia, at Delta College. (Whitney Ramirez/News-Sentinel)

"I remember standing up there," recalled Mauia, pounding his chest to illustrate his fast-beating heart. "He left me by myself. I just started wailing in the water and splashed my way back. I told him never to do that again."

Mauia says the rough treatment from his brothers only made him tougher. And to this day, he always thanks his brothers for not going easy on him.

"I probably would have been a wimp," he said, before backing off the thought. "Probably not."

Things didn't get much easier for Mauia when the family moved to a poor neighborhood in East Oakland, where his father took another warehouse job.

"You come from one jungle to a whole different jungle," he said.

As a Samoan family in a largely African American community, Mauia says they were as different to their neighbors as their neighbors were to them, a difference that often led to fights with the neighborhood kids.

"We had to survive," he said.

And, as hard as it is to believe, Mauia was a self-described scrawny little kid, weighing under 100 pounds in sixth grade. That all changed when he found weights in back of an Oakland housing project.

"I just started lifting on my own and never stopped," said Mauia, who between lifting and puberty had grown to 263 pounds by the time his family moved to Stockton just before high school.

Big man on campus

When Reagan Mauia walked onto the Tokay High football field for the first time, he asked varsity coach Jeff Tracy if he was in the right place. When Mauia told the coach he wasn't a junior, but a freshman, Tracy pointed to the freshmen team at the opposite end of the field. Mauia stopped at the junior varsity field first, and when he again revealed his freshman status, he completed his long walk to the freshmen field.

"The freshmen coach said, 'No son, the varsity field is back that way.'"

"He was a creature, man," said Tracy of Mauia, noting that he would have put him on the varsity team if not for his own personal rule that players must be 15 to play at that level. "He had a lot to learn, but he learned real fast."

Having never played football before, Mauia knew little more about the sport than quarterback and wide receiver. But with his size and athleticism, there was no way he was going to ride the bench as part of the freshmen team, plugged in as a right guard on the offensive line and a nose guard on defense.

"I'd line up and ask my tackle, 'Who do I hit?'" Mauia said. "He'd tell me which number, and when the ball moved I'd knock them down."

But Mauia wasn't satisfied with being a mere brut on the field.

"He was a student of the game," Tracy said. "He didn't just want his natural ability to lead him. He wanted to learn all the fine details of the game."

His work ethic translated to the weight room as well, learning lifting techniques from John Hunt, the first person he ever met on the Tokay campus.

"He was bench-pressing 220 pounds as a freshman and 330 pounds by his sophomore year," said Hunt, a counselor and track and field coach at Tokay.

When the track and field season came around, Hunt convinced Mauia to go out for the shot put and discus. Mauia didn't like the sport at first, but he was a natural, eventually setting the school record in the discus with a mark of 172 feet, 6 inches.

He was progressing in football, too, earning the San Joaquin Athletic Association's Defensive Player of the Year honors his junior season. His impact on the defensive end was so great that Tracy switched his whole defensive scheme to better use his star player. It seemed to help Mauia that his older brother, Tuitafega, had transferred from Bear Creek and played middle linebacker for Tokay that season.

"That made me feel at home," Mauia said.

Mauia's senior year was a bit more rocky. Halfway into the football season, Mauia was ruled athletically ineligible when it was discovered he and some teammates had been drinking at a party.

"He made some choices and got himself into some situations, but it was hard to be disappointed with him because he felt he let the team down," said Hunt, whose parents took Mauia in his senior year when Mauia's parents had to relocate to South Stockton. "He was never elitist or cocky. He was truly humble and sorry for any bad decisions he made."

Changing of the guard

During his senior season at Tokay, a 300-pound Mauia ran a 4.8-second 40-yard dash, an incredible combination of size and speed. Still, none of the bigger colleges were interested in a 6-foot lineman with a short wingspan.

Mauia signed a scholarship to play for Sacramento State, but he quickly backed out.

"I would have been a Hornet, but I didn't think it was the thing for me to do," he said. "I knew I could do better, but I wasn't going to stop playing ball."

Mauia decided to play at Delta College, where he wanted to improve his skills in the hope that a big school would come calling. After earning all-league honors as a freshman at Delta, he redshirted his sophomore year after the birth of his son.

"I worked two jobs and went to school," Mauia said. "Just trying to help out."

During that time, Mauia continued to receive several scholarship offers from smaller schools. Knowing that Jesus Reyes, Delta's wide receivers coach, knew someone at the University of Hawaii, Mauia asked him for a favor.

"I got up the courage to ask Reyes to make a phone call for me," Mauia said. "Just to get my name in the door."

When Reyes did, Mauia was asked to send the school some game film. He gathered all the tape he could find from Tokay and Delta, sending an overnight package to Hawaii. The very next day, Hawaii head coach June Jones was on the phone.

"I couldn't believe it was him," Mauia said. "He told me, 'If you're willing to walk on, we're willing to have you.'"

Mauia walked onto the team as a nose guard with Jones' word that if he worked hard enough, he would eventually earn a scholarship. In the first 10 games of his junior season, he made one start and one tackle.

But during the following week of practice, everything changed for Mauia. In preparation for Wisconsin, Hawaii's scout offense needed a running back. Jokingly, Mauia offered his services.

When the coaches took him seriously, he lined up for the first play.

"I laid out our starting linebacker," said Mauia, inserted into the team's backfield that weekend.

At 350 pounds, Mauia made a quick impression, rushing for 56 yards on 10 carries, including a 10-yard touchdown trot up the middle in Hawaii's regular-season finale against San Diego State.

If Mauia was going to reach the NFL, he knew this was his only chance to do so. But in order to make that a realistic goal, he had to lose significant weight. Drastically changing his diet — which began with cutting out trips to Jack in the Box — he was down to 315 pounds by the time spring ball came around. By fall, he was down to 290.

"Coach Jones told me I had a chance (to make the NFL)," Mauia said. "I just had to think speed and agility."

Mauia spent hours learning blocking schemes and studying one-on-one with coaches on his way to a standout senior season, but just like college, no one was calling. No team was interested in seeing a 290-pound running back at the NFL combines, which was how Mauia was listed.

Mauia's saving grace was an invitation to the Hula Bowl, an all-star showcase for college seniors. It was here that Mauia technically played fullback for the first time. While most players were looking to impress the NFL scouts, Mauia had more pertinent issues.

"I wasn't worried about (the scouts)," he said. "I was worried about learning to play fullback."

He apparently played the position well enough, as numerous scouts approached him.

Said Mauia: "Scouts would come up to me and ask, 'Where'd you play? We don't have you listed as a fullback.'"

The Miami Dolphins were the only team Mauia visited, and as it turned out, he was one of four Samoans selected by the Dolphins on draft day, a group no referred to by the local media as the "Polynesian Wrecking Crew."

A proud papa

As Mauia concludes the tale of how he reached the NFL, his father, Pili Mauia, appears.

Standing at a mere 5-foot-6, it's clear Pili Mauia is not the source of his son's size. He looks at his son with a proud grin, a Miami Dolphins hat atop a tuft of shaggy, black and gray hair. Samoan is Pili's first language and he speaks little English, so his son chimes in.

"He always wears that hat," Reagan Mauia says. "He doesn't have to, but he always does."

After watching his father work blue-collar jobs his entire life, Reagan Mauia can now provide for his family in ways they could never have imagined back in American Samoa. He says he's looking at buying his parents a home in the area.

"The 209 is still going to be my area code when I find a home," Mauia says. "I'm definitely sticking around."

For now, Reagan will settle for a Miami apartment during the season, while his son stays in the Stockton area with the family.

And just like he plans to stick around the 209, he's intent on sticking around in the NFL for awhile, too, despite saying that the NFL stands for "Not For Long."

"I got the best advice from (Dolphins veteran) Zach Thomas," Mauia said. "He just told me to stay healthy."

After what he's overcome to get to the NFL, that doesn't sound too difficult.

Baltimore Ravens release Lawrence Wilson

The Baltimore Ravens Defensive Tackle Lawrence Wilson from the University of Hawai'i and Farrington High School (Honolulu).

Lions rookie from Hawaii ready for the cold and the NFL

Dana Wakiji / The Detroit News

ALLEN PARK -- What's a nice kid from Hawaii doing playing defensive end for the Detroit Lions?

Surprisingly, that's not the question Ikaika Alama-Francis was asking himself after his first training camp practice at team headquarters in Allen Park.

Of course, the weather was in the 70s.

"It's a blessing for myself," Alama-Francis said. "It's been a great experience. Everything, I go into knowing I'm going to have fun -- and I'm going to work. That's my mindset with everything. Come out here, work as hard as I can, only good things can come from that."

The Lions selected Alama-Francis with their second of three second-round picks, 58th overall.

Alama-Francis was born on the island of Oahu so the obvious question is, has he seen snow?

"I have seen snow once but not like this," Alama-Francis said with a laugh. "Everyone's been warning me. I've been around maybe 40 degrees. I haven't been around zero. So we'll see how that goes."

Article continued at Detroit News.com

Tampa Bay's Chad Owens embraces new start

Today's Honolulu Advertiser has an article on Tampa Bay Bucaneers wide receiver and return man Chad Owens. Continue article at Honolulu Advertiser.

Lawrence Wilson invited to Baltimore Ravens Summer Camp

Former Farrington and UH player, defensive tackle Lawrence Wilson, has earned a chance to stick with the Baltimore Ravens. He returned last week from extended free-agent camp with an invitation to rejoin the Ravens at their preseason training camp July 29.

Wilson is competing with fourth-year player Dwan Edwards and fellow rookie free agent Andrew Powell for a roster spot. Last year's first-round draft pick, Haloti Ngata, starts at nose guard.

"They're working me at defensive tackle and nose guard," Wilson said. "They already had some cuts, so I'm thinking I have a good chance of at least making the practice squad."

The 6-foot, 296-pound Wilson was the strongest UH player last year, benching more than 500 pounds.

"Over there is different. It's not about lifting heavy stuff. They don't really care about how much you lift -- it's about what you can do (on the field)," Wilson said. " You have to learn fast and be ready at all times."

Especially with All-Pro linebacker Ray Lewis captaining the NFL's stingiest defense.

"He's a really cool guy, down-to-earth," Wilson said. "Tries to help you out. But once you step on that field, he's a different dude."

Jesse Sapolu returns to Hawaii

Homecoming for Gov linemen

Sapolu: 2006 team hard act to follow

Jesse Sapolu knows how hard it is to maintain football excellence.

The former Hawaii star earned four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers. Sapolu, a Farrington alumnus, was home in the islands last weekend and he talked about the Warriors' ascent to an 11-3 record last year and their potential to do even better this fall.

"They can't sneak up on anybody anymore," said Sapolu, who was a leader of the UH team that went 9-2 in 1981. "They have to be ready, because it can be exhausting when you become a target as a team."

With that being said, Sapolu added he thinks the Warriors have the talent to go unbeaten this fall.

Continue Article at Honolulu Star Bulletin

Detroit Lions.com article on Ikaika Alama-Francis

Don't Worry, Be Happy
Alama-Francis Takes an Upbeat Approach to Life, but Knows when it's Time to Work
By Chrissie Zavicar
Detroitlions.com
July 6, 2007

Due to a pectoral injury suffered prior to the NFL Combine, Alama-Francis has been unable to fully participate in team drills. (Photo: Gavin Smith)

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- It seems that over the years, sports have been transformed from games into work.

Even at young ages, kids are approaching sports as though they are future job opportunities instead of a fun way to spend time with friends and exercise.

Obviously there is a time for intensity and hard work; after all, players at the professional level are getting paid for their services. But it seems as though having pure fun while playing professional sports is a dwindling trend.

This became ever-too apparent for those surrounding the Detroit Lions organization when they drafted defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis out of Hawaii.

While Alama-Francis is as intense as can be when he is on the field during practice or on gamedays, he is never without a smile when he is at the team’s practice facility.

“You've got to love life (and) I really do – I love life,” he said. “I'm very blessed just to be here. There are so many people out there who would love to be in my spot and I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to laugh (and) I'm going to have fun but there is a serious side that you have to have.

Continue Article at Detroit Lions.com

Ikaika Alama-Francis Blog

BYU's Aulai and UH's Tuioti-Mariner on Rimington Trophy Watch List

BYU's Sete Aulai and Hawai'i's Lafu Tuioti-Mariner have been selected to the 2007 Dave Rimington Trophy Watch List which honors the nation's top offensive center. Aulai as a junior was a Second Team All-MWC last season. Tuioti Mariner is competed for the starting center spot during sprill football drills in Manoa. Tuioti Mariner hopes to replace second round draft pick selection Samson Satele of the Miami Dolphins.

5 from UH picked; 5 more sign

By Cindy Luis
cluis@starbulletin.com

Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan, Tennessee.

And right up there with some of the biggest names in college football ... Hawaii.

Newest NFL Islanders Former UH players taken in this weekend's NFL Draft or who signed with NFL teams yesterday. Players drafted Player, position, team, draft round and draft position » Ikaika Alama-Francis, DE, Detroit Lions, second round, No. 58 overall » Samson Satele, C, Miami Dolphins, second round, No. 60 » Reagan Mauia, RB, Miami Dolphins, sixth round, No. 181 » Melila Purcell, DE, Cleveland Browns, sixth round, No. 200 » Nate Ilaoa, RB, Philadelphia Eagles, seventh round, No. 236 Signed as free agents Player, position, team » Tala Esera, G, Miami Dolphins » Kenny Patton, C, Oakland Raiders » Leonard Peters, S, New York Jets » Dane Uperesa, OT, Cincinnati Bengals » Lawrence Wilson, DT, Baltimore Ravens

The Warrior program had record success in this year's NFL Draft, with another three players drafted on yesterday's second and final day. The selection of running back Reagan Mauia (Miami Dolphins) and defensive end Melila Purcell III (Cleveland Browns) in the sixth round, and running back Nate Ilaoa (Philadelphia Eagles) in the seventh, gave Hawaii a program-best five draft picks.

It matched the number of six other schools, including USC and Miami, for seventh-best in selections. Only Florida, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Texas, Michigan and Tennessee had more (see graphic).

Another five Warriors agreed to or are expected to sign free-agent contracts. Not drafted but heading to camp are offensive lineman Tala Esera (Miami Dolphins), cornerback Kenny Patton (Oakland Raiders), safety Leonard Peters (New York Jets), offensive tackle Dane Uperesa (Cincinnati Bengals) and nose tackle Lawrence Wilson (Baltimore Ravens).

"I am not surprised, not with the season and the type of team we had," said Ilaoa, who led the 11-3 Warriors in rushing yards with 990 and scored 13 touchdowns. "It shows the kind of actual talent we have.

"For us to tie with USC (in picks) means we're not a fluke, or a gimmick offense, or whatever they like to call it. We have something very special here and (this draft) confirmed it."

The call from Philadelphia also did not surprise Ilaoa, who had been in contact with several teams during and after the NFL Combine.

"I'm happy and feel very fortunate that it was Philadelphia," said Ilaoa, a graduate of North Stafford (Va.) High. "I was at home, watching it on ESPN, and waiting for it to happen."

Purcell was eating breakfast with his family at Anna Miller's, watching the draft show at the Pearlridge restaurant. He was anticipating a call from either the New England Patriots or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, mostly because he didn't hear from Cleveland last week.

"I feel good about them, the coach was nice and they run a 4-3," said Purcell, a three-time All-Western Athletic Conference pick who led all UH defensive linemen with 60 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. "We haven't talked about money. I'm going up there to play football. But I heard it's cold, so I will have to go out and buy some warm clothes.

"It's amazing that we had five drafted. I waited for the others to be picked and I'm happy to hear about all the free agents. I'm so happy for everyone."

Most affiliated with the Warrior program had expected five to be drafted. The slight surprise was that it was Mauia -- who wasn't even on ESPN.com's list of Hawaii possibles -- and not Uperesa.

"Mauia is a very good football player," Warriors coach June Jones said. "And I think Miami is the perfect place for him.

"It's pretty exciting for all our players to get this opportunity after all the hard work they've put in. I don't know if the number is amazing, because when you have had the success we've had, the number of kids we've had make it in the NFL the last few years, people are going to take notice."

During Jones' eight seasons at UH, 16 Warriors have been drafted and, counting yesterday, another 25 have signed as free agents. Hawaii's previous draft record was three, set in 1985 and matched in 2003.

The potential is there for at least one Warrior vs. Warrior matchup every NFL weekend.

"I'd love to see that happen," Purcell said. "The number of our guys just keeps growing every year, as our program keeps building every year."

"All it takes is one team to like you," Ilaoa said. "I'm not surprised about Reagan. I knew he was on the board for Miami. They saw him at Pro Day and we knew they liked what they saw."

Esera likes that he'll continue to see Mauia, as well as Samson Satele, who was selected by the Dolphins during Saturday's second round.

"I'm looking forward to going up with Sam and Reagan," Esera said. "I had 11-12 teams contacting me yesterday after the draft. It was kind of crazy and I ended up with the team I wanted to go to.

"They're rebuilding down there and hopefully we'll have a chance to build something special."

Hawaii's five selections also includes second-round choice Ikaika Alama-Francis (Detroit Lions) who, with Satele, gave the Warriors two second-round picks for the first time. It also gave the WAC 17 players overall; Boise State and Fresno State had four players drafted, San Jose State two and Nevada and Louisiana Tech one each.

The WAC was sixth out of 28 conferences with draft picks. The SEC led the way with 41, followed by the ACC (31), Big Ten (31), Big 12 (28) and Pac-10 (28).

Several Hawaii prep products who competed on the mainland had been listed as possible draftees, but were not chosen over the weekend. Looking at free agency are:

» Oregon center Enoka Lucas (Kamehameha);

» Oregon guard Palauni Ma Sun (Kahuku);

» Utah offensive lineman Tavo Tupola (Kahuku);

» Nevada receiver Caleb Spencer (Kamehameha).

Attempts to reach the four yesterday were not successful.

Alama-Francis 'special,' says Glanville

Alama-Francis 'special,' says Glanville

Defensive end will make quick transition to the Lions, coach figures; first practice is today.

Mike O'Hara / The Detroit News

Jerry Glanville, the former NFL head coach, defensive assistant and network analyst, was surprised when the Lions drafted defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis of Hawaii in the second round.

Glanville thought Alama-Francis would be drafted higher.

Glanville, hired earlier this year as head coach by Portland State, was Hawaii's defensive coordinator the last two years and coached Alama-Francis. Glanville doesn't think Alama-Francis will need much time to make the transition from college to the NFL.

"He's a special person and a special player," Glanville said in a telephone interview from Portland Thursday. "He's all-out hustle and all-out effort.

"Everything he does is just the way you want it."

The Lions' coaching staff will get its first look at Alama-Francis as a pro today, with the first two practices in a three-day mini-camp for rookies. There are double sessions today and Saturday and one Sunday morning. Workouts will be without pads.

Alama-Francis is not well known by most college football fans, which is common for players from Hawaii. They don't get much exposure in the continental U.S.

He was a basketball player and did not play football in high school on Oahu. He was a walk-on at Hawaii. Alama-Francis started one game his first two seasons and was a full-time starter in 2005-06.

He had 10 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss in his last two seasons. The greatest asset for Alama-Francis, who is 6-foot-5, 280 pounds, is his quickness and agility, which come from his basketball background.

Glanville, who lived in Detroit and played and coached at Northern Michigan, started his 20-season NFL career as an assistant with the Lions in 1984. He had two stints as a head coach -- with the Houston Oilers (1986-89) and Atlanta Falcons (1990-93). He also was defensive coordinator of both teams.

He was in touch with some other NFL teams on the first day of the draft and expected Alama-Francis to be drafted before the Lions got him with the 26th pick of the second round. It was the second of the Lions' three second-round picks.

"I was kind of surprised he didn't end up with a couple other teams," Glanville said. "He wouldn't have lasted through the second round. A lot of NFL teams called me. If he didn't go to Detroit, he wouldn't have been there much longer.

"He's a total football player. He hasn't been blocked yet."

UH Lineman Tala Esera Selected for East-West Shrine Game

Hawaii's Esera to East-West Shrine

By Dave Reardon
dreardon@starbulletin.com

Hawaii left tackle Tala Esera has accepted an invitation to play in the East-West Shrine Game, Jan. 20 at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

"I'm kind of nervous because I don't know what to expect," Esera said. "But I think there will be some other (UH players) there, too."

Esera's stock rose steadily during Hawaii's 10-3 regular season, in which he helped anchor the nation's statistically best offense. One scout said Esera was graded a potential free agent before the season started, but is now considered a likely third-round draft choice.

"I don't know about that," the 6-4, 308-pound Esera said. "I don't really pay attention to it."

UH offensive line assistant Dennis McKnight does.

"He's the best offensive tackle I've seen on film this year. He should be at the Senior Bowl," McKnight said. "The East-West Shrine Game is a helluva opportunity and he is very deserving."

Esera replaces Warriors teammate Samson Satele, who had a Shrine Game invitation, but opted for the Senior Bowl instead.

"Tala was next in line at tackle, so he had a good chance of making it anyway," Shrine Game board member John Murphy said.

Esera came to UH from Kahuku High School in 2002 as a defensive tackle, but was moved to offense before the start of the 2003 season. He has started 41 consecutive games and was named to the All-WAC first team earlier this week.

Esera also received UH's Most Inspirational Player award at Sunday's banquet.