In expanding its passing offense, the Hawaii football team employed two X-perts.

Playing the wideout position known as X, Steven McBride and Alex Perry have used speed and aggressiveness to add deep and jump-ball threats to the Rainbow Warriors’ fully implemented run-and-shoot offense. In last Saturday’s scrimmage at the Ching Complex, Perry soared for a gravity-defying catch, and McBride sped past the secondary to grab a 46-yard scoring pass.

During Monday’s practice, head coach Timmy Chang, who is calling the offensive plays this season, implored the receivers to be “violent” — vernacular for fighting to catch a pass. After Perry suctioned a pass over a defensive back, Chang shouted his approval.

“You’ve got to take the ball out of the air before it gets to you,” Perry said.

McBride agreed, adding, “you’ve always got to be aggressive for the ball. The ball in the air is always going to be your ball. That’s the mindset you’ve got to have. If it’s not your ball, it’s nobody’s ball.”

Both are fast and athletic. At 6 feet 5, Perry’s 39-inch vertical jump lengthens his strike zone. McBride is 6-1 with a vertical jump of 431⁄4 inches. He is capable of sprinting 40 yards in 4.4 seconds. “I feel my legs are very strong,” said McBride, who also competed in the high jump and long jump at East Ascension High in Gonzalez, La.

McBride appeared in 24 games in three seasons at Kansas before entering the NCAA transfer portal. After signing with UH in December and enrolling at UH in January, McBride was assigned as Perry’s roommate.

Perry, who played in one game while redshirting as a freshman in 2022, views McBride as a role model. “He’s done a lot for me since he got here,” Perry said. “I’ve taken a lot of the small things he does and the certain moves he makes against somebody. Steve’s really helped me by being the big brother to me in the receiver room.”

McBride has helped the younger receivers develop the burst at the snap and the speed control in navigating routes. “Going into my fourth year, I’m kind of like a veteran even though I just came in January,” McBride said. “But I have so much knowledge, it’s actually good to teach the younger guys. He’s one of them I really teach. I see a lot of potential in him.”

With guidance from McBride and receivers coach Jared Ursua, Perry is learning to temper his emotions, particularly after he drops a pass or is frustrated with a grasping defender.

“Sometimes that could get in the way,” Perry said, “but I think it’s a good thing for most of the time, just keeping the competitive edge on somebody. I’ve always loved being competitive. Seeing a person in another colored jersey, that just gets me going. Every time I see that, I’m just ready to play.”

McBride said Perry’s fiery play is “good to have because it shows he really loves the game. Even though he can get mad because he had a dropped pass or someone is grabbing him, that’s because he has passion. He knows how good he can be.”

McBride, who grew up in Louisiana, and Perry, who is from Florida, have bonded over their regional connections.

“The South is a lot of joking,” Perry said. “It could seem mean to someone who doesn’t understand it. But it’s a lot of hard joking with each other. We love each other. We know it’s just jokes at the end of the day. It’s a good little vibe in the receiver room all the time.”