Whatever the day of the week, Corey Paclebar is having a blast going to work.
Since the start of fall camp, learning and running the routes required of a Hawaii slotback have filled his Monday-to-Saturday schedule.
On Sundays, he earns a check by shuttling visitors to Oahu’s hiking trails as a tour guide.
“No days off really,” Paclebar said. “Which is good, keeps me out of trouble.”
If he wasn’t working, Paclebar probably would be out on the beach or hiking anyway, so the job is essentially, “Getting paid for my free time.”
“I love it. I wouldn’t keep going if I didn’t have fun with it,” he said. “I get to talk to people, learn about Hawaiian culture.”
Paclebar has been busier than usual during the first half of fall camp because the projected starters at slotback have been limited by injuries.
Paclebar, a 5-foot-7 sophomore, has been working with the first unit in the spot expected to be filled by Miah Ostrowski when the junior’s tender hamstring allows.
“Keeping the spot warm,” Paclebar said. “I know my place right now, holding it down, but it’s fine.”
Ostrowski practiced on Monday, but is taking a cautious approach with the Warriors’ season opener against Colorado still more than two weeks away.
“It’s getting better by the day,” said Ostrowski, who spent most of Wednesday’s practice on the sideline. “It’s still a little ginger … but it’s getting better and maybe in a couple of days I’ll be able to pick it up and go full speed.
“They said it’s a three-week injury and it’s only been two weeks, so it’s getting better.”
Billy Ray Stutzmann is also easing back from injury, which has given sophomore Justin Clapp more repetitions in camp.
The increased workload has provided Paclebar, Clapp and some of the UH newcomers a chance to earn the trust of the coaching staff in the event they’re needed during the season.
“Mentally it’s great. I learn the routes better with repetition and everything. Physically it’s demanding, but it’s rising to the challenge,” Paclebar said.
“It’s a repetition thing for me, the more I get in there, the more I feel comfortable. I want to be the guy they can depend on eventually, so this is big for me, helping me get to where I want to be.”
Offensive coordinator Nick Rolovich said Paclebar and Clapp have “closed the gap” with solid performances in the opportunities they’ve had to apply the concepts they learned in their first two years in the program.
“(Paclebar) and Clapp both are at a high level with the offense,” Rolovich said. “He’s a smart kid. I liked him out of high school. Makes plays, all those things.”
While Paclebar continues his education in the offense, he also had a lot to learn to perform his side job educating tourists on some of Oahu’s features. He’s originally from the Northern California town of Pleasant Hill, but his father would bring the family to Hawaii on his annual business trips.
“That’s how I got acquainted with the culture and I kept building on it,” Paclebar said, “and when I got here I really had an interest for it and the language and everything.
“I did have a lot of learning to do, and still do, but it’s fun.”
