3 freshmen will start at LB

It only seemed like a few months ago when Benneton "Benny" Fonua and Jerrol Garcia-Williams were high school seniors.

OK, it was only five months ago.

Now Fonua, Garcia-Williams and Kendrick Van Ackeren will be the first trio of freshman linebackers to start for Hawaii in the program’s not-too-recent history. Van Ackeren is a redshirt freshman.

Before last Saturday’s game against San Diego State, when Fonua and Garcia-Williams made their first NCAA starts, a Norm Chow-coached team never had two freshman linebackers in the opening lineup. Van Ackeren replaces injured weak-side linebacker Art Laurel (sprained right knee) for Saturday’s homecoming game against New Mexico at Aloha Stadium.

"We don’t recruit anybody to sit around," said Chow, who was hired as UH’s head coach in December. "The best guys will play."

Linebackers coach Tony Tuioti said: "It’s a good change-up to have these young guys come out and learn. Obviously, they have a lot to learn. But they have strengths that we definitely can use."

In the first four games, the Warriors lacked consistent downhill, no-pause play at middle linebacker. The coaches reached to Fonua, who had planned to redshirt.

Fonua graded well against San Diego State, particularly on a play when he plowed past a towering blocker.

"Benny is a physical person in the middle, (where) we hadn’t been consistent in the first four games," Tuioti said.

Fonua, a Kahuku High graduate, is soft-spoken away from the game. On the field, Fonua said, "whatever happens, happens. I’m a whole new person."

Garcia-Williams, the son of a former NFL player, was raised in Las Vegas. While Fonua exits in pass-coverage packages, Garcia-Williams remains in the lineup. He was a cornerback and safety in high school, and can play both of the Warriors’ outside-linebacker positions.

"He’ll never quit, no matter how nervous he is," Van Ackeren said of Garcia-Williams "Last week, he was nervous as hell. I made a joke about it in the locker room."

Garcia-Williams smiled, and said: "Last week, I was focused on doing my job. This week, I want to do my job and make plays for my team."

Van Ackeren was a highly regarded recruit as a high school senior in Washington.

"The timing and circumstances were just right," Van Ackeren said of signing with UH in February 2011. "It was the right decision. It still is."

Van Ackeren was recruited as a safety. While redshirting, he learned to play linebacker. He was named the top scout for special teams.

"He can line up in any defensive package we put on the field," Tuioti said. "He’s like having another coach on the field. He’s not an ordinary freshman. He’s not the biggest or the fastest, but because he understands the package, he’s always in a position to make a play."