No wonder the Hawaii football team’s new No. 1 punt returner has had difficulty making a name for himself.

He has hyphenated first, middle and last names.

"Thank my mother for that," said Breydan-James Ka‘aumoana-Okekai Torres-Keohokapu.

After playing two seasons for Mount San Antonio College, he faced an obstacle in transferring to UH this past summer.

"The hard part was getting into the school system," he said. "They couldn’t spell my name. There were all kinds of different spellings."

When he was finally admitted, he did not know it because his name was filed incorrectly. He missed three weeks of the offseason conditioning program while the problem was resolved.

Torres-Keohokapu has played in only one game this season despite being on two road trips. As a reserve slotback, he is not on the two-deep chart for offense. But after punt returner Scott Harding sprained his ankle last weekend, Torres-Keohokapu was summoned.

"He gets an opportunity," head coach Greg McMackin said. "When guys get an opportunity, they have to step up. We’ve liked his ability the whole time."

Torres-Keohokapu developed sure hands at Castle High. One of the Knights’ rules is if a player fumbles, the next school day he must carry a football to all his classes. He did not fumble once as a Castle receiver/returner.

"It was always about ball security," he said.

After UH practices, Torres-Keohokapu works on fielding punts and his footwork. When he began as a returner a few years ago, he admittedly struggled in tracking punts.

"It’s all about reps," he said. "The more reps you get, the more confidence you get. It took a lot of work to get that confidence. Now it’s: Catch the ball, see a crease, hit it, go north and south."

One thing he never questioned was his life’s direction.

"Playing for UH is a dream," he said.