Finally healthy, Hadden is finally kicking like he knew he could

As part of his football training, University of Hawaii kicker Tyler Hadden will go to a park in search of a tall, straight tree.

He then will secure the football with the "sticks" — an upside-down-L-shaped pipe — and aim for the tree trunk.

"If I hit the tree, I can put it between the two (goal) posts," Hadden said. "You aim small, you miss small."

From tee to tree, Hadden has been on a quest to improve since he joined the Warriors in July 2012. He is among 23 UH seniors who will play his final home game against UNLV on Saturday.

This has been Hadden’s best season. He is 11th nationally in field goals (17), an average of 1.55 per game. He has converted 81 percent of his field-goal attempts, and is perfect on 21 point-after kicks.

In the past 19 games over two years, he is averaging better than 63 yards per kickoff, with 45.8 percent resulting in touchbacks.

"He’s having a great year," said Chris Demarest, who coordinates special teams. "I like everything about him. I like his attitude. I like his confidence. He’s 100 percent healthy for the first time I had him in three years."

After Wednesday’s practice, Hadden marveled at what he’s termed "a long journey." He recalled the days of watching future NFL receivers Greg Salas and Kealoha Pilares running routes on UH’s grass field.

"And now there are all these younger guys out here catching balls after practice," Hadden said. "Things have changed. I’ve seen so many different things, so many people. I’ve met a lot of good people. It’s been an adventure."

It all began on a dining table in Whittier, Calif. A backup for three high school years, Hadden had a breakout season as a senior. But the single-season performance did not provide enough early traction in the recruiting process.

Back then, recruiters relied on DVDs. A friend edited videos of Hadden’s games and workouts into three separate DVDs.

"One day, my mom, sister and I put together 75 envelopes with player profiles, all my stats, and three different highlight videos," Hadden said. "We labeled each one and sent them out. You put a little prayer over it and say, ‘Lord, it’s in your hands.’"

The Warriors called, making a take-it-now offer.

Hadden made a side-by-side comparison between UH and New Mexico State, whom he had made an oral commitment. Hadden chose UH, prompting NMSU head coach DeWayne Walker to give "our family a good little earful."

At UH, Hadden faced constant changes. He had three special-teams coordinators. He worked with a cycle of seven holders. He played the entire 2012 season with a double sports hernia. And then there were the challengers: Kenton Chun, Ceejay Santos, Aaron Novoa, Joe Ugllietto and Jackson Dione. Ryan Weese and Kainoa McDonald are redshirting this season.

Hadden recalled asking Demarest about the influx of kickers. "He said to keep doing my thing and not worry about the others," Hadden recalled. "He’s supported me. That’s really huge as a kicker to know your coach has your back."