Byrd brings potential as a playmaker for Hawaii

Halfway through Saturday night’s final University of Hawaii scrimmage of the spring, safety Kalen Hicks laid a resounding hit on slotback Cedric Byrd, drawing oohs and aahs from the Ching Athletic Complex gathering of maybe 1,000.

They were appreciative of not only the ferocity which which the 6-foot, 3-inch, 200-pound Hicks delivered the blow but for the abilities of the, maybe, 5-foot, 9-inch, 170-pound Byrd to make the catch and hang onto the ball.

Once again, Byrd, an incoming junior college transfer from Long Beach City College this semester, marked himself as perhaps the Rainbow Warriors’ biggest revelation of the spring.

He introduced himself immediately back on March 21, the opening session of the spring, and has made consistency his calling card right up through the 15th and last one Saturday.

On a depleted offensive unit looking for bright spots, Byrd has quickly stamped himself as a playmaker to look forward to this fall. On a team installing the run-and-shoot, he’s been ahead of the curve and already set about carving a niche.

“He is the one, among the skill players, who has shown up the most consistently,” offensive coordinator Brian Smith said. “He’s extremely dynamic in his speed and quickness and he didn’t miss a single (repetition) all spring. He’d run his 40 yards as fast as he could and jump back in the line for the next one. I couldn’t be happier with the kid or more excited about his future.”

Head coach Nick Rolovich called him, “a good pick-up for us. He might not know everybody’s name yet, but they know his and they respect him for how he came in, how he got to work and the reasons he’s here.”

For all the glowing testimonials by his coaches, the most excited person welcoming him aboard might be the other starting presumptive starting slotback, John Ursua.

Small wonder. Ursua, who was among the nation’s leader in receptions until suffering a season-ending knee injury in mid-campaign, has watched Byrd admiringly from the sidelines this spring with an appreciation for his abilities and what he can mean. “He’s a playmaker,” Ursua said, “and I think we can complement each other real well. Last year I was getting double-teamed from the first game on and with him, I don’t think many teams can play either of us that way.”

Ursua, who watched the scrimmage in shorts and expects to be ready to go full blast in the summer, said, “I didn’t know who he was at first but, from day one, he has been making plays. He has speed, gets open and makes plays.”

Former UH receiver and NFL veteran Greg Salas said, “He’s made some nice plays and, from what I’ve seen, he can be a big playmaker for us.”

Salas, who with Kealoha Pilares, formed one of the most dynamic duos in the run-and-shoot era at UH, said, “He (Byrd) and Urusa should be a nice (pair).”

The ‘Bows hope Byrd will use the intervening months to gain strength and work on hand placement on his catches, two things also evident this spring.

Byrd said, “My goal was to come in here with a good attitude and compete this spring. Basically, I wanted to come in strong, stay strong and finish strong, too. I wanted to show that (coming from JC) that I was ready to play at this level.”

Consider it mission accomplished. Which, for UH, made it one of the highlights of the spring.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.