University of Hawaii backup quarterback Ikaika Woolsey has a new look, but the same attitude.
“I’m going to keep fighting, keep preparing every week, keep supporting my teammates,” Woolsey said following the Warriors’ first practice of training camp.
Woolsey, who started 12 of 13 games last year, dropped to No. 2 on the depth chart behind Max Wittek exiting spring training.
“It is what it is,” said Woolsey, who is friends with all the UH quarterbacks. “We’re all boys on and off the field. We all support each other. We all want each of us to succeed. But at the same time, you can only play one (quarterback) at a time.”
In the Warriors’ sixth game last year, Woolsey suffered a painful back injury when he was kneed. With senior quarterbacks Taylor Graham and Jeremy Higgins out with season-ending injuries, Woolsey bit his mouthpiece and refused to request a break last year.
“There were a lot of guys last year playing with injuries, not just me,” Woolsey said. “Everyone during the season is going to be hurt. You have to battle through it, be a man, and move forward. In week seven or eight, nobody is really 100 percent. I’m sure my O-linemen were hurting more than I was but they didn’t complain. I couldn’t do the same, either.”
Woolsey’s offseason project was to shed weight.
“I felt last year I was a little heavy and couldn’t get out of the pocket as I wanted to,” Woolsey said.
This offseason, he lost five pounds while increasing his strength.
He displayed his arm strength with a 36-yard pass to wideout Keelan Ewaliko during team drills on Wednesday.
“He had a little streak (pattern) on the sideline,” Woolsey said. “The safety kind of sat down. (Ewaliko) has that speed. I just had to throw it out there. He took care of the rest.”
Ewaliko said: “He knows how fast I can run, and I know how far he can throw. Knowing that, we can just work off each other.”
Mayo gets reps with the first team
Cornerback Jamal Mayo practiced with the first team during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. It was a gritty ascent for Mayo, who redshirted last year after transferring from Laney College.
Mayo was notified after the fourth game last year that he would redshirt.
“It was frustrating at first, but I got used to it,” Mayo said. “I was going to come back next year even harder.”
He used the redshirt season to work on his technique. This offseason, he gained five pounds and now weighs 190. His body fat dropped to 4 percent.
Outside linebacker Tavai gets bigger
Outside lineback Jahlani Tavai also benefited from redshirting as a freshman in 2014.
Tavai, who is 6 feet 4, weighed 209 pounds when he joined the Warriors last year. Tavai said he needed to increase his weight and strength to play the flex linebacker, a position that can align on the defensive line as a pass-rusher. He said he now weighs between 235 pounds and 240.
As a scout defender last year, Tavai often went against left tackle Ben Clarke in practices.
“That helped,” Tavai said.
Of Tavai’s new build, Clarke said: “He looks big.”