Hawaii football team seeking walk-ons who can make difference

For Ben Zahniser, pursuing a dream meant running every day, busing tables, and singing “Happy Birthday” more times than he can count.

Zahniser, a running back, was among 18 participants at Wednesday’s audition for walk-on spots on the University of Hawaii football team. The hopefuls were timed in the 40-yard dash, and then went through agility and position drills. Per NCAA offseason rules, none of the activities involved the use of a football.

Head coach Todd Graham said some of the walk-on hopefuls will be invited to participate in spring practice, which begins on March 27.

It was a familiar experience for Zahniser, who aced the Rainbow Warriors’ walk-on tryout in February 2017. Zahniser was added to the Warriors’ 2017 roster. But Zahniser, who grew up in Sacramento, had to leave the program following the season.

“I had financial issues and I wasn’t on scholarship,” Zahniser said. “I had to stop playing in the spring of 2018, and I had to go get a job. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

He balanced being a full-time student with working at the Old Spaghetti Factory, where birthdays are celebrated with a candle on an ice-cream scoop and a serenade from the staff. “Probably over a thousand,” Zahniser said of singing “Happy Birthday.”

But Zahniser said he saved enough money to focus on playing football, if he received an opportunity. “I enjoy training all the time,” Zahniser said.

Defensive back Dylan Toilolo also decided to give it another shot.

“I was bored without football,” Toilolo said.

Toilolo was an All-State defender at Saint Louis School and Kapolei High. As a Saint Louis linebacker, he was named to the All-State third team in 2015 and first team in 2016. As a senior, he was on the All-State second team as a defensive back. Toilolo joined the Warriors as an invited walk-on in 2018, during which he redshirted that season. After that, he remained in school but opted to focus on academics.

In four previous head-coaching jobs, Graham said, “every year we’ve done this tryout. Number one, it’s always been productive for us. And two, the success of our walk-on program is in the top one or two components of being successful here at a high level.”

Of the maximum 85 scholarships allowed by the NCAA, Graham saves some each year to award to a walk-on. “We’ve put on three to five walk-ons a year,” Graham said.

Graham said Wednesday’s participants were evaluated for skill. “This is just the first step,” Graham said. “Out of this group, we’ll look and research. There’s a lot of research. We want to see if they have the skill. From our standpoint, academically they have to fit in. From a character standpoint, we want people who really fit our culture. It’s not just about talent.”

Of today’s participants who are invited to spring training, they will be evaluated after the 15 practices and “if they pass that, they’ll get invited to fall (camp),” Graham said.

Graham said he is impressed with the quality of Hawaii’s high school players. He also said there are deserving players who might have been “overlooked or they don’t get recruited, and then they mature and they get better.”

Of Wednesday’s tryout for full-time UH students, Graham said, “you should open it up to students who go to school here, give them an opportunity. There’s always a good story when we do it.”

Graham said he also is seeking UH students who want to work or volunteer with the program. He said the experience would be useful for students in several fields, from business to marketing to physical therapy. “We’ll take ’em all,” Graham said. “It’ll look good on your resume, and I’ll be a good reference for ’em.”