When the University of Hawaii football team made a grayshirt offer last year, linebacker Dayton Furuta’s initial reaction was: Huh?

"Grayshirt?" Furuta recalled. "I didn’t really understand what a grayshirt was."

In college football’s version of layaway — playaway? — a grayshirt is a player who signs a letter of intent, then delays his enrollment for a semester. The move allows a player to join in January, participate in spring practice, and then still have five years to play four seasons.

"I talked it over with my (Mililani) high school coaches, and it worked out to be better for me," Furuta said. "I had a little more time to develop physically and mentally, and get a little bit quicker."

A player who does not initially meet the eligibility requirements can use the grayshirt semester to retake the SAT or a core class. A player also can take up to nine credits, at his own expense, without triggering the start of his five-year NCAA eligibility clock.

Furuta, linebacker Manly Williams and running back D.J. Riggins used the grayshirt semester to train ahead of enrolling at UH.

"They told me I needed to gain weight," said 6-foot-2 Williams, who was 190 pounds as a Farrington High senior. "I ate, lifted weights and stayed active."

Williams weighed 225 pounds when he joined the Warriors in January. He also moved from safety to outside linebacker.

Williams said the UH coaches were pleased he "put on some weight, some meat."

His brother, co-captain Lance Williams, also started his UH career as a grayshirt.

"It’s not bad," Manly Williams said. "I take it as a free redshirt. I try to use it to my advantage. It helped me a lot. And I still have the option to redshirt to get more prepared for this D-I speed."

Riggins said the extra semester helped him fully recover from a shoulder injury suffered while playing for Oaks Christian High.

"It’s 100 percent now," Riggins said.

Riggins said he also is in better football shape.

"When I graduated high school, I was max 170 pounds, maybe 165," said Riggins, who now weighs 190. "It helped me a lot and it matured me a lot. I was eating a lot, running, lifting. Basically, that was my job for the five months I was at home."

During spring practices, Riggins even sneaks in work on his option passes.

"My whole life I’ve been trying to play quarterback," Riggins said, smiling. "My dad wouldn’t let me. I had to give up that dream a long time ago."

Furuta also used the fall semester to improve his strength. He gained 15 pounds, and now weighs 235.

"I feel like a linebacker," Furuta said. "I’ve been putting in a lot of work. The extra weight is a benefit."

Furuta is practicing as an inside linebacker. He also is used on kickoff coverage, and he is practicing his long-snapping.

"I’ll do whatever I can to get playing time," Furuta said.