Hand's down, University of Hawai'i football player Amani Purcell is at ease this spring practice.

Purcell has moved from outside linebacker to the more comfortable role as a defensive left end, a position in which he aligns in a three-point stance with his right hand on the ground.

"It's nice to play with my hand down again," Purcell said.

For the UH coaches, it also is pleasant to see Purcell fulfill the high expectations created when he decided to leave Penn State in the summer of 2005 and join the Warriors.

In accordance with NCAA transfer rules, Purcell was not eligible to play for the Warriors until the 2006 season.

Training camp was nearly over last August when Purcell was declared eligible.

At Penn State, Purcell was the top backup at both defensive end positions in the 4-3 scheme. Last year, he struggled to make the transition to outside linebacker in UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville's 3-4 defense. Purcell was moved to defensive end for the final three games last year, but was used sparingly while recuperating from a knee injury.

Glanville resigned last month to become Portland State's head coach.

Glanville's successor, Greg McMackin, has re-installed the 4-3 scheme the Warriors ran in June Jones' first six seasons as UH head coach. McMackin was the Warriors' defensive coordinator in 1999.

One of McMackin's first decisions was to move Purcell to left end, where he now is a member of the first-team defense. Purcell said UH's 4-3 scheme is similar to Penn State's defense.

During defensive meetings last week, Purcell recalled, "I was tripping out when (McMackin) was going through the slides. I saw some of the plays I already knew."

As an outside linebacker, Purcell was required to stand up straight, with his feet even.

"It's a soft-read position," Purcell said. "You're not sure if you're going forward or backward or whatever until the play develops."

In the 3-4, the defensive end is essentially a defensive tackle. Purcell's older brother, Melila Purcell III, was pushed around so much as a 3-4 end that he gained more than 30 pounds for his senior season.

Believing the Warriors would remain in a 3-4 this coming season, Amani Purcell planned to follow his brother's path.

"I gained about 25, 30 pounds," he said. "I knew I had to get bigger to play as an end (in the 3-4). I was eating a lot of Polynesian and Samoan food — corned beef, taro, chicken."

His father, who is a manager of a tuna factory in American Samoa, would send eight cases every couple of weeks.

"(Tuna) is in my system already," he said. "I love eating it with rice and ketchup."

Then Purcell learned the Warriors would switch to a 4-3 for spring practice. In that formation, the defensive end sets up in a three-point stance and serves primarily as a pass-rusher. It also meant Purcell had to make a U-turn on a diet designed to increase his weight.

"I was excited, but at the same time I was bummed out because I gained all of this weight and now I had to lose it," Purcell said.

He had weighed as much as 285 pounds. His goal is to weigh between 265 and 270 at the start of training camp in August.

"I'm slowly losing the weight," Purcell said. "I'm getting rid of the fat."

So far, Purcell has been effective as a pass-rusher.

It is hoped he retained some of the pass-coverage techniques he used as an outside linebacker. McMackin soon will introduce zone-blitzing schemes in which the defensive ends drop into coverage while the corners or safeties blitz.

Purcell said he is healthy. In the middle of last season, he suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The injury did not require surgery, but it hindered Purcell's lateral movements.

"It's better," Purcell said. "I did a lot of rehab. It's not going to be a problem."

Purcell, who is 6 feet 3, has one year of eligibility remaining.

UH'S DEPTH CHART TAKES SHAPE ON DEFENSE

Yesterday was the first day the players were permitted to wear shoulder pads during spring drills.

That led to more animated plays when the offense and defense were matched in 11-on-11 drills.

"When you put on the shoulder pads, you always do a little bit more," Jones said.

It appears a depth chart is forming on defense. Yesterday's first-team defenders were: left end Purcell, left tackle Keala Watson, right tackle Michael Lafaele, right end Karl Noa, weak-side linebacker Adam Leonard, middle linebacker Solomon Elimimian, strong-side linebacker Blaze Soares, left cornerback Gerard Lewis, left safety Jake Patek, right safety Kealoha Porlas and right cornerback Myron Newberry.

On offense, slotbacks Davone Bess and Ryan Grice-Mullins continued to work out as wideouts.

Cameron Allen-Jones, a converted offensive lineman, ran pass routes as a tight end/H-back.

Each year Jones tries to tinker with the four-wide offense.

"He's got some ideas," quarterback Colt Brennan said. "He's trying to run through everything to see what works — what he likes and what he doesn't like."

The experiment of using Allen-Jones as a receiver appears to be working.

"It was surprising to see him out there at first," Brennan said of Allen-Jones. "Coach Jones loves doing things like that. In my experience, he's pretty smart doing that. He was successful with Reagan (Mauia as a running back). And it looks like he's right about Cameron. Cameron can catch the football. He's pretty good. He's got some good hands."

There were other moves that were for amusement purposes only.

During pass drills, the defensive secondary consisted of Bess and (a helmet-less) Jason Rivers as cornerbacks, and Grice-Mullins and Brennan as safeties.

On an option run, left guard Hercules Satele raced upfield and tried to get in Brennan's path.

"Coach Jones kept it fun and tried to give us things to do," Brennan said. "The focus is on the younger guys this spring, so the older guys didn't have a lot of work."

Brennan was soft-tossing passes to Grice-Mullins when Jones yelled: "Go play defense."

"He knows I like doing that stuff," Brennan said of his scout-team work. "I used to play linebacker a long time ago. I wanted to play there, but he wanted me back at safety."

The Warriors are off today, and resume workouts tomorrow.

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.