SALT LAKE CITY —Ten yards is not much.

A football first down. The pacing distance for a worried man. All that Greg McMackin needs to make a new friend.

In the 30-step walk to the hotel elevator, McMackin spotted a maid. He said, "Hi," and, few minutes later, she was offering best wishes for the coming football season.

"I like people," said the first-year University of Hawai'i head football coach, who also engaged in conversations with a waiter and restaurant hostess.

These days, McMackin is a most happy fella.

It is six months since he succeeded June Jones, who orchestrated the most successful football season in school history.

McMackin's first recruiting class, constructed in a frenetic three weeks, drew raves from computer geeks.

And he is well liked. UH offensive coordinator Ron Lee mused that McMackin shakes more hands "than Obama." He has not met a speaking invitation he did not accept.

"I've always been a friendly person," McMackin said. "My wife is that way, too. And it's easier to be that way in Hawai'i because the people of Hawai'i are the same way. I'm amazed by the response we've received. I know I'm on my honeymoon. We haven't played any games, and we had a great season last year. There's a lot of enthusiasm. I feel really responsible to do a great job because of the faith of the administrators, coaches, players and fans. I take this as a very serious responsibility."

McMackin is scheduled to address reporters today at the Western Athletic Conference Football Preview. He skipped the event's golf tournament — "believe me, it was no sacrifice" — and worked on his tentative game plan for the Aug. 30 opener at Florida.

He already has mapped every play of every drill for the 18 full practices of training camp.

He took a break for lunch. But in the hotel lobby, he saw two men from Boise he recognized from a meeting last year. After a chat, he would say later, "Those guys are really great. I enjoyed talking with them."

McMackin stopped long enough to answer some questions from The Advertiser.

On approaching his first training camp as UH head coach:

"I'm really not nervous at all. I'm anxious, if anything. I appreciate getting my shot. I've been a head coach at high schools and smaller-level colleges. As a defensive coordinator, it was like being the head coach of the defense. Instead of having 50 guys out of 110 guys, now I'm responsible for the entire team. But the reason I'm not nervous is because I really believe I have a great staff. If you have good people — and that's one thing I've learned in this business — loyal people who are going to work hard and care about players, everything is easier. I trust my coaches."

On implementing his version of the four-wide offense:

"(Quarterback coach Nick "Rolo" Rolovich) is doing an unbelievable job with the quarterbacks. I know we're going to have an unbelievably great (starting) quarterback. I know we're going to be one of the top throwing teams in the country. I'm not worried at all. We've run this offense before. June did a great job running this offense. But this offense is special. We're really getting back to the basics. Ron (Lee) knows the basics. I know the basics. Rolo knows the basics. Brian Smith (the line coach) is as good as there is in knowing how to block the front. Alex Gerke (the backfield coach) helps us not only with the running backs but with the offensive line. I really believe in the people we have."

On choosing a quarterback from among returnees Inoke Funaki and Tyler Graunke, and junior-college transfers Greg Alexander and Brent Rausch:

It's a repetition offense, so experience really helps. That, of course, is the concern. Inoke and, obviously, Graunke have the experience but not as starters. Alexander has played in 42 (junior) college games. He's thrown for a lot of yards. He's not going to get intimidated by a bunch of people. Not that he's been in front of big crowds, but he doesn't care. He's worked hard. He's lost weight. He's been a student of the game. He's one of those who's the first guy there and the last to leave. He's got a rocket arm. Brent is a natural. He's got three years (of eligibility). That's the nice thing about him. I think we can get a quarterback ready for the first game."

On his timetable for selecting a No. 1 quarterback:

"We're going to go from four (quarterback candidates) to three really fast (in training camp). They've got to get quality reps (in training camp). Then, we're going to have a first and second guy. The first guy will get three-fourths of the reps. The second guy will get a fourth of the reps. The third guy is in waiting.

"I don't want quarterback controversies. But somebody might be good coming off the bench. Tyler was great coming off the bench last year. He won us a couple of ball games. I'm not saying he's coming off the bench. Maybe he starts and Inoke comes off the bench. With having four good quarterbacks, I'm not going to let a guy have a bad game. I'm not afraid to play our best players. Some days, our best player might not be as good that day. I don't want to give up on a quarterback. That's a confidence position. Quarterbacks, to me, are like coaching corners. You don't want to be too negative at a game. Everybody in the stadium knows the good things he's doing and the bad things. They don't have to have me chewing their tail on it. I don't get on quarterbacks or corners. I talk with them. There's a lot of pressure on them. I don't want to add to that."

On planned defensive adjustments:

"We're going to be a no-huddle defense just because of the 40-second (play) clock and because of all of the no-huddle (offenses) we're going to see. The reason we can do this is because we have smart players. I learned that last year. The majority are back on defense. I did things with them that I did in the pros. And they didn't miss a beat. And they made adjustments I did in the pros."

On finding cornerbacks to complement Ryan Mouton:

Jameel (Dowling) is tall, about 6-3. I wanted to see if he had good enough footwork to play outside. You don't get tall guys who have good footwork. I talked to him, and we thought he could play safety, but we wanted to look at him at corner (in spring practice), and he did outstanding. He's got great feet, great attitude. He's a big-time athlete. I like him a lot. So he's going to play corner. (JoPierre Davis) has improved. Calvin Roberts has improved. He's worked hard. The other guy is (junior-college transfer) Jeramy Bryant. He's a stud. He's got great attitude. We've got five corners. When have we ever had five corners? Now we can do more man(to-man coverages). It gives me more toys."

On a defensive sleeper:

"People forget about (safety) Kenny Estes. But, I tell you, he made some plays this spring. He's a smart player."

On the coming season:

"We have a challenging schedule. In my heart, I feel blessed to be here. We play for Hawai'i. Really, it's like how the 49er fans go on the road to follow their team. We're really playing for the Polynesian people and the people of Hawai'i. That excites me. I've been to a lot of bowls and big games. It's never been like the turnout we had at the Sugar Bowl. I hope we can continue this. It's going to take some patience. We've got a challenging schedule. But I believe in my coaches. And I believe in our players. And I believe, with the help of our fans and administration, that we're going to have a great year."

On his coaching future:

"I signed a five-year contract. I hope to get rolled over for three more. I want to get (grandson) Taylor through high school. Taylor is a sixth-grader. (Granddaughter) Kayla is a freshman. This is where I'm going to finish my career. I've coached in a lot of places. This is the best place I've ever coached. Both times, it's been the best experiences I've had. I heard somebody say this and it's so true: It's the beauty that brings you to Hawai'i, but it's the people who keep you there."