Imagine giving sportscaster Jim Leahey a thesaurus or Dwight Howard elevator shoes. That would appear to be as excessive as giving  a megaphone to University of Hawaii special teams coordinator Chris Demarest.

Demarest’s booming voice is magnified in the lower campus when he directs drills. 

"I coach with passion and energy," Demarest said. "That’s how I learned it many, many years ago. All the places I’ve been before, that’s what it’s been about — passion and energy. That’s how you win football games."

Damien Packer, a receiver who earned his opportunity on special teams, said Demarest delivers a message that is clear — and loud. 

"I got all the warnings," Packer said before meeting Demarest. "He’s real and forward. What you see is what you get. Either you produce or you don’t."

Demarest does not appear to be concerned about his sideline manners in practices. 

"I’m not worried about offending anybody," Demarest said. "I’m worried about winning football games."

In 2012, Demarest’s first season at UH, Mike Edwards scored three touchdowns on kickoff returns. Last year, the Warriors’ punt-coverage team forced five turnovers.

"That man means a lot," Packer said of Demarest. "He believed in me, and gave me that first shot."

An injury opened the way for Packer to play on the kickoff, kickoff return and punt return units. "That’s where it all started," Packer said. 

This past spring, Packer was awarded a scholarship. 

"I owe that man for my scholarship," Packer said. "Without him believing in me, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity."

Coach Norm Chow said Demarest is "a good coach, a demanding coach."

As for the megaphone, which already is chipped, Chow said: "He needs a megaphone. Almost all NFL special teams coaches have megaphones."

Demarest said: "We’re going to get a new megaphone. Coach Chow said we’re going to find the money somewhere. Even if we have to sell candy bars, we’re going to have a new megaphone."

Yap moonlighting at OLB

Defensive end Beau Yap was practicing with the outside linebackers during Friday’s position drills. Yap experimented at linebacker for two weeks in spring training before moving back to defensive end. 

"We’re covering our bases," defensive coordinator Kevin Clune said. "We want to prepare for what this team is going to be in six weeks after injuries, after a lot of things. We have to be ready for everything."

Yap said it is helpful to play both positions in case a sudden change in a game prevents UH from bringing in another linebacker.

"If we can’t substitute the right personnel in, I might have to be a linebacker," Yap said.

He’ll start, somewhere

Clune said linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams will continue to practice at both the outside and inside. He is expected to be a starter at either spot. 

"It’s good he’s cross-training in a lot of different areas," Clune said. "The more he knows, the more he can help the team."