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The University of Hawaii football team’s quest for a No. 1 right tackle has become an appetizing competition.
“Everybody is hungry,” said Kingjames Taylor, who redshirted as a freshman this past season. “Everybody wants to get fed.”
Matt Norman, who is entering his senior season — and third year with the Rainbow Warriors — is feasting on a 5,000-calorie-a-day diet to help beef up his chances.
“I’m trying to work hard every day and be the best I can be before Week 1 against UMass,” Norman said of the Warriors’ Aug. 26 opener.
Taylor and Norman are the top challengers to succeed RJ Hollis, who completed his UH eligibility in December. With No. 1 left tackle Dejon Allen being withheld from contact drills because of nagging ailments, line coach Chris Naeole has assigned first-team reps to Taylor and Norman. Taylor is practicing on the blind side, and Norman is at right tackle.
“It’s still real early,” Norman said. “We’re not even in fall camp. We have four (spring) practices under our belt.”
The Warriors also signed three promising offensive linemen who will join in June.
Taylor, who is 6 feet 4 and 305 pounds, used his redshirt season to adjust to college football’s rat-a-tat pace. “The trenches are a mind game,” Taylor said. “Everything happens so fast. Everything just comes to you.”
Taylor also conquered pangs of homesickness. Fale and Fau Taylor’s only child was raised in a Carson, Calif., household filled with several extended family members.
“It’s the normal Polynesian way,” said Taylor, who is Samoan. “I miss the food. I miss the culture. I miss my mom. I miss my Pops. It’s all good knowing they know I’m here doing my work.”
Taylor’s uncle is Uriah Moenoa, a former standout offensive lineman for the Warriors.
Norman, who is 6 feet 5 and 285 pounds, has gained nearly 50 pounds since transferring from Fullerton College in August 2015.
“It’s a little hard to get food on your plate in community college,” Norman said. “It’s kind of a struggle. I had some problems gaining weight over there. Once I got over here and got my scholarship and got my meal plan and some time under my belt, I managed to gain some weight and get a little bit stronger in the weight room.”
Norman creates a pile of food on his plate at the training table after each morning’s football practice. A typical lunch includes three sandwiches — two made of peanut butter and jelly, and one of turkey-ham. At home, Norman makes his own sauce for his pasta dishes. “It’s easy to cook and not very expensive,” Norman said.
Norman said the problem is a two-hour practice can burn thousands of calories, especially for offensive linemen. “It’s all about maintaining the weight for me,” Norman said. “It’s hard for me to keep it on.”
Norman appears to have retained his quickness and agility. It was Norman’s footwork and long reach that convinced the Warriors to make him a scholarship offer in 2015. He redshirted that year. In the middle of the 2016 season, Norman moved from left tackle to the right side. UH also scripted plays in which Norman was aligned as a tight end. “I still have a long way to go,” Norman said, “but I’m working hard and getting better.”
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