After first meeting, players like Chow’s vibe

Norm Chow hustled from meeting to meeting Thursday as he began the process of building the 2012 Hawaii football team.

His itinerary was punctuated with his first team meeting, after which the Warriors emerged with renewed enthusiasm.

"It’s a great thing," middle linebacker George Daily-Lyles said. "Change is good. Right now, everyone is enthused."

Chow, who was hired as Greg McMackin’s successor on Dec. 22, returned to Hawaii on Tuesday night. Most of Wednesday was spent on administrative duties, such as finalizing the paper work for the assistant coaches.

Thursday, in the assembly hall, Chow and his assistants detailed their plans in a 45-minute presentation.

"It was a good meeting," senior receiver Darius Bright said. "Change is for the better. You need that every now and then. We have good coaches. There’s a good vibe going on."

After the team meeting, the players attended position meetings. The focus was on academics.

"Everybody is excited," said Waylon Lolotai, who will compete at tight end. "We’re all fired up, ready to follow Coach Chow. We’ll do whatever he asks of us. From ground level up, we’re all excited."

The Warriors will be switching from a four-wide passing offense to the West Coast offense, which often uses a tight end.

Lolotai, who was raised in Colorado, was recruited as a linebacker. After returning from a church mission, he was moved to defensive end, then to offensive line. Last year, he practiced as a tight end for the scout team portraying the upcoming opponent’s offense.

"Coach said he’d give me a shot at tight end," Lolotai said. "I’ve been all over. It will be exciting. It’s a blessing."

Bright, who played left wideout last year, also is being considered for tight end.

"I’m a mixed breed — tight end, receiver, whatever," Bright said.

Chow said it was "fun" to meet with the players. He said it was a "good meeting."

In other news, former UH defensive end Zach Masch has been invited to play in the Jan. 21 AstroTurf NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif. Former NFL coaches Dick Vermeil and Tom Flores will lead the teams.

Also, former defensive coordinator Dave Aranda will be hired at Utah State as a defensive coach, sources said.