The University of Hawaii football team appears to have a blind spot for its best offensive linemen.

Two years ago, Ben Clarke made the successful transition from center to left tackle entering his junior season. This spring, Dejon Allen, who will be a junior in the fall, has drawn “oohs” following his move from right guard to blind-side tackle.

“It feels like home,” Allen said of his new position.

The left tackle usually faces a defense’s most menacing pass-rusher. It made sense for the Rainbow Warriors to counter with Allen.

“Dejon is our best athlete,” said Chris Naeole, who coaches the offensive linemen.

Allen is nearly 6 feet 4 when he inhales and 295 pounds. That’s close to the average build — 6-41⁄2 and 294 pounds — for a starting Mountain West Conference left tackle in 2015.

“The most important things are he can move and he’s got long arms,” Naeole said.

Allen is capable of bench-pressing 405 pounds and squat-lifting nearly 600 pounds. He also possesses, in football parlance, “heavy hands,” an effective asset in “punch-blocking” defenders.

“He’s very athletic,” head coach Nick Rolovich said. “He understands the system.”

Naeole noted: “He can do some things others guys can’t do. Even if he takes a bad step, he’s so athletic he can catch up and put himself in a position where he can survive.”

The past two seasons, Allen committed two holding penalties in 1,743 plays and allowed one sack in 887 passing plays. But Allen said he wanted the challenge of one-on-one battles on the perimeter.

“I’m a lot more free there (at tackle) than at guard,” Allen said.

The coaches figured this was the best time to experiment.

“That’s what spring is for,” Naeole said. “If you want to find the answers, you’ve got to know what guys can play. Spring is the perfect time to move guys around.”

But Allen has stayed put, cemented at left tackle for every scrimmage-like session this spring. It is in contrast to his redshirt year in 2013, when he shifted between offense and defense.

Noticing that Allen was buried on the defensive depth chart, Naeole recalled telling him back then: “If you don’t want to play (on defense), I’ll take you.”

For this move to tackle, Allen studied videos of Kelvin Beachum, who recently signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also consulted with Clarke, who recommended a lower stance to improve leverage against a defender. Allen has worked on emerging from his crouch. UH’s tackles, unlike the guards, are in a two-point stance.

“I just the love the game of football,” said Allen, whose soft-spoken demeanor belies his on-field ferocity. “I just won’t let the opponent beat me. It’s like he wants to take my money. I won’t let that happen.”