It was the rehearsal for the audition, and former University of Hawaii football players Makani Kema-Kaleiwahea and Leo Koloamatangi were basking under the California sun.
“It feels good to run in the sunlight,” said Kema-Kaleiwahea, who trained alongside Koloamatangi the past two months in Bellevue, Wash. “We had pretty bad weather (in Bellevue).”
Kema-Kaleiwahea is among 15 former Rainbow Warriors who will participate in UH’s pro day at Azusa Pacific University today. On Saturday, Kema-Kaleiwahea and Koloamatangi tested the artificial turf at Dillon Field. A day earlier, wideout Marcus Kemp and cornerbacks Jalen Rogers and Jamal Mayo had test runs.
Pro day involves players going through a series of disciplines — 40-yard dash, bench-press reps of 225 pounds, vertical jumps, among the events — and field workouts in front of NFL scouts and personnel directors. Previous UH pro days were held at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif., and the San Diego State campus before moving to APU last year. APU coach Victor Santa Cruz is a former UH linebacker.
Kemp, a wideout, has balanced a full class schedule with six-days-a-week training. He said he added 10 pounds of muscle preparing for the bench press and vertical jump. “I feel I’m faster and stronger,” said Kemp, whose agent has fielded inquiries about Kemp from several NFL teams.
Rogers, who was raised in Arizona, and Mayo, an Oakland resident, trained in Houston the past couple months. “It was good to go somewhere where we didn’t know anybody so we could just dial in,” said Mayo, who has recovered from an MCL issue that caused him to miss five games in 2016. “I’m back in full. I’m 100 percent.”
Rogers has received interest from the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. He has focused on his technique, such as footwork and hip flexibility, and improved his times in the 40 and shuttle drills.
Makoa Camanse-Stevens said he would like to display his versatility. At UH, he played wideout, slotback and motion tight end. He also was used on option passes. He initially was set to join the Warriors as a defensive back. Camanse-Stevens said he lost 5 pounds and now weighs 200, reduced his body fat from 16 percent to 5.09 percent, and shaved his head.
“The most important part of the combine is the 40,” Camanse-Stevens said. “It’s all about speed. … Any little edge can help. I’m at that point where I don’t care how I look. I need to perform. It’s about the numbers I put up. If shaving my head is a mental thing where it makes me think I run faster, makes me more aerodynamic, so be it. I’ve got nothing to lose.”
Linebacker Jerrol Garcia-Williams turned down an invitation to the Tropical Bowl in January to allow his injured thumb to heal. The thumb is fine, and Garcia-Williams, who is from Las Vegas, has trained daily in Hawaii.
Running back Paul Harris has worked out in Ohio and California. He also has honed his interview skills for potential talks with scouts.
Kicker/punter Rigo Sanchez has trained under former NFL kicker Michael Husted in San Diego, participated in Gary Zauner’s kicking combine, worked out with a kicking coach in Chico, Calif., and did whole-body fitness at two facilities near his family’s home in California’s Central Valley. Sanchez said his emphasis will be on place-kicking and kickoffs, but he also will show his punting skills. “I’ve been training for this kind of day,” Sanchez said of pro day. “It’s another day to go out and kick. That’s how I see it.”
