Art Laurel has experienced quite a bit since he first ran onto the field with the kickoff return unit in his college debut. But the thrill of the moment remains fresh.

"It was exhilarating," Laurel said. "I was like, ‘This is my first time playing and it’s against USC,’ so it was pretty exciting. "

Laurel’s first contact in a college football game came against the Trojans in Hawaii’s 2010 opener at Aloha Stadium. He’ll begin his final season with the Rainbow Warriors on Thursday by lining up across USC for the third time in his career and with a far more extensive role in UH’s plans.

A year after his initial appearance as a freshman, Laurel earned a starting job in the linebacker corps and maintained that standing in 21 of UH’s past 25 games. His versatility figures to again keep him on the field for most of the Warriors defense’s snaps this season.

"I’m just glad he’s healthy because we definitely need him," UH linebackers coach Tony Tuioti said.

"With the variety of things we want to do on defense and to be as multiple as we want to be with the different schemes we have, Art’s a guy who’s an every-down linebacker for us. Art’s just as good in pass rush as he is in coverage. … He’s like a good handyman. He’s reliable, he’s dependable."

Not to mention productive.

Laurel started the first four games of last season at strongside linebacker before switching to the weak side and finished third on the team with 51 total tackles, including three in UH’s season-opening loss to USC in Los Angeles. He also tied for the Mountain West Conference lead with 131⁄2 tackles for loss, including four sacks.

He posted those numbers while playing through pain in his shoulder for much of the season. An MRI in January revealed a torn labrum, and he had surgery that kept him out of spring practice.

"Being on the sideline watching my brothers play … the only thing I could do was help the young ones with their plays," Laurel said.

With the help of new strength coach Gary Beemer, Laurel worked through the spring and summer to get his shoulder back into shape, and now "I can take on blocks a lot better," Laurel said. "It feels stronger than before."

Laurel said going through the surgery and recovery also made him a stronger person, and after contributing as a tutor during the spring, being back on the field gives him a chance to lead in his more customary fashion.

"He leads through his actions and that’s his strength," Tuioti said. "He’s not one that’s going to talk a lot about how to do it. He’s going to show you how to do it."

Laurel retained a starting spot at weakside linebacker for Thursday’s game, with sophomore Jerrol Garcia-Williams on the strong side and Brenden Daley in the middle.

The Leilehua graduate is the Warriors’ last link to the 2008 signing class, the first under former head coach Greg McMackin following UH’s Sugar Bowl season. As a grayshirt, he enrolled full time at UH in the spring of 2009 and redshirted that fall before establishing himself on special teams as a freshman, then as a fixture at linebacker.

"There’s a lot of tradition still in Art," Tuioti said. "He’s played with a lot of guys who have been successful here throughout the years. He’s been to bowl games, he’s won a conference championship in 2010, so we need to draw from that experience."