This spring practice, Uperesa has competed as the right tackle on the first team.

"He worked harder during the offseason to get stronger and tougher," UH coach June Jones said. "It was a mental thing. You have to grow up. (Right tackle is) a tough position. You'd better be tough."

Uperesa admitted it was difficult moving from the starting lineup to limbo.

"Any time you lose your position, you have to do some soul-searching," Uperesa said. "I didn't know what I wanted to do, but I knew I had to respond in some way. I had to fight back."

He said he spoke with his family and Mike Cavanaugh, who resigned as UH's offensive line coach last month to accept a similar job at Oregon State.

"Coach Cav really wanted me to be more aggressive so I could play at this level," Uperesa said. "I knew I had to get stronger. Once I got stronger, I knew I would gain the confidence to be more aggressive."

Uperesa worked out six days a week. He apparently benefited from the revised weight-training schedule. In previous years, the players were grouped by position. This year, they were paired randomly.

"I think having different training partners helped him," said Mel deLaura, UH's assistant strength coach. "He learned a lot."

Uperesa, who is 6 feet 5, said his next goal is to shed some of his 325 pounds.

"I'd like to think I put on a lot of muscle," he said, "but I know I have to get trimmer. That will take place during the summer."

QB Brennan remains committed to UH

Colt Brennan, a quarterback from Saddleback Community College (Mission Viejo, Calif.), yesterday reaffirmed his commitment to play for the Warriors this coming season.

"Without a doubt, I'll be a Warrior," Brennan said. "No doubt about it in my mind."

In joining the Warriors as a non-scholarship player, Brennan is turning down a football scholarship from San Jose State.

"I'm not worried about that," Brennan said. "I'm thinking of the football standpoint."

There were concerns Brennan might renege on his pledge when he accepted an official recruiting trip from San Jose State last weekend. Brennan said he wanted to visit his cousin, Brent Brennan, a Spartan assistant coach.

During the visit, Colt Brennan was offered a full scholarship and an opportunity to start. The Spartans have three quarterbacks.

"When I got on the plane home," Brennan recalled, "I told my dad, 'I'm not changing my mind.'

"I want to be respectful of the guys at San Jose. They've been awesome. They have a great coach (Dick Tomey). They have good people over there. ... But I'm solidified in going to Hawai'i."

Brennan had earned national attention for serving a seven-day sentence after being found guilty of first-degree criminal trespass (entering a room) and second-degree burglary (not leaving immediately) for a January 2004 incident that occurred when he was a freshman at the University of Colorado. He was dismissed from the Colorado football team.

At Saddleback last fall, he completed 177 passes in 259 attempts (with four interceptions) for 2,532 yards and 23 touchdowns in nine games. Brennan, who is 6 feet 3 and 200 pounds, was named to the Mission Conference first team and selected jucaltransfer.com's offensive MVP.

Galdeira challenging for time at cornerback

UH's top right cornerback yesterday is not just another Guy.

Guyton Galdeira, whose father is Guy, said his family didn't "want to call me Junior."

Galdeira also had a unique start to his college football career. It came in the middle of the 2004 season.

Galdeira, a 2004 Kamehameha Schools graduate, was supposed to join the Warriors in January. But injuries and defections in the defensive secondary forced the Warriors to summon Galdeira.

Now Galdeira is competing for extensive playing time. He competed with the first team yesterday.

"They're putting me in the fire," he said. "I have to do what I have to do. I'm trying to do my best."