Google Maps was designed with University of Hawaii football player Caleb Phillips in mind.

Type Phillips’ name into the search box, and the location result would be: everywhere.

As the 3-back — a cocktail of fullback, H-back, tight end, third tackle, slot receiver and wideout — Phillips can be found in the backfield, on the line, wide or any branch of the passing tree.

“It’s a dynamic position, which has been super exciting,” said Phillips, who joined the Rainbow Warriors as a fifth-year junior on June 17. “I’m having the most fun playing football in a long time.”

Phillips has been prospering at a position he did not play in four years at Stanford. He was an outside linebacker and special-team member for the Cardinal. But the UH coaches, seeking another multi-purpose offensive threat, were intrigued with Phillips’ potential after he entered the transfer portal. Noticing that Phillips was a tight end and linebacker in high school, UH assistant coach Victor Santa Cruz called Jon Wallace, head coach at Santa Fe Christian Schools in San Diego.

Phillips said: “They saw my old tight end tape, and they reached out to my high school coach. ‘Hey, has this kid gained weight since then?’ I was kind of scrawny kid coming out of high school. I was tall and lanky.”

Phillips, who is 6 feet 5 and 230 pounds, contacted Kevin Hogan, a former Stanford quarterback who was the Kansas City Chiefs’ fifth-round pick in 2015. Hogan had been training at Phillips’ high school. “I hit him up,” said Phillips, who then worked out with Hogan. “I ran a bunch of routes, put some good stuff on tape, sent it over, and they liked it.”

Phillips signed with UH in February and, after the paperwork was finalized, he received the offseason workout program from assistant head coach Kody Cooke, who oversees the Warriors’ strength and conditioning.

With Stanford on the quarter schedule, Phillips did not complete work on a bachelor’s degree until June. When he was not studying, he spent his final quarter training with Stanford players. “It was great having some buddies at Stanford who were tight ends to give me a few pointers,” Phillips said.

While classes were online because of the pandemic, Stanford approved an in-person commencement ceremony. Actress Issa Rae was the guest speaker.

After the ceremony, Phillips drove to San Diego, packed and headed to Hawaii. “It was crazy,” he said of the turnaround. “It felt like our four years (at Stanford) just flew by. I’m stoked to be out here now.”

Phillips said the coaches have been helpful in his adjustment to the new position. He said playing on Stanford’s kick return unit, where he faced heat-seeking tacklers, was beneficial in his blocking techniques. “In my opinion, blocking on kickoff returns is one of the hardest things in all of football,” Phillips said. “It’s tough. It’s great. And it’s great training for moving your feet, and getting in front of guys, using your leverage, working an angle. It’s definitely really good practice.”

He also embraces not having to wear the heavy knee braces required of the Cardinal’s outside linebackers. “Being here without them, I just feel so much more agile, and being able to move,” he said. “It’s been great. When you’re trying to earn a job on kickoff, and you’re trying to lug these heavy, barely movable things down the field, it’s not ideal. It’s nice being free of those.”

Phillips also is competing for a spot on every special-team unit.

In the weeks ahead of the opening of training camp, Phillips and several teammates would spend time on the North Shore or Waikiki.

“It’s such a beautiful state,” Phillips said. “I was nervous coming out here. I was like, ‘is this going to be the right fit for me? Is this where I’m supposed to be?’ But after being here, I couldn’t ask for anything else. If you were to tell me, ‘if you had a choice to be doing a fifth year here or wherever,’ 100% I’d be here in Hawaii.”

Because of the pandemic-related exemption, Phillips actually has two UH seasons remaining. This fall, he begins a master’s program in marketing management.

Moving on

Reserve quarterback Boone Abbott and backup safety Sterlin Ortiz have entered the transfer portal. Abbott appeared in one game in his two UH seasons. Ortiz, who transferred from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M last year, played in all nine games at safety and on special teams in 2020.