University of Hawai'i football player Kenny Patton has decided to end his experiment as a wide receiver and move back to cornerback.

"I've been playing (cornerback) for four years," Patton said. "I feel it's the best chance for me to help out."

Patton, who will be a fifth-year senior in the fall, started 20 games during the past two seasons.

But during spring practice in April, Patton agreed to move to wideout. Although he quickly picked up the offensive plays, Patton suffered a quadriceps injury that forced him to miss the final week of spring training.

He was not listed on the depth chart after spring practice.

Patton, who was used as a receiver during his junior year at Punahou School, leaves the position with some regret.

"I was starting to learn it," he said. "If I were a freshman, it would have been different. But I'm not."

UH coach June Jones said: "He would have made plays this year. He can do it. ... We let him decide where he wants to play. It's always his choice. He has to make the call, and this is his decision."

Jones said Patton faces tough competition at cornerback. C.J. Hawthorne, who transferred from a junior college in January, and A.J. Martinez were the top cornerbacks at the of spring training. UH recruited six players who can play the position. Two of them, Chris "Pac-Man" Camacho and Gerard Lewis, are enrolled in summer school.

"We have a lot of corners," Jones said. "But we know what he can do out there. He feels he's comfortable there."

UH defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville added: "He's got ability and he's a good person. If he stays healthy, he'll be a plus. . . . I was thinking about him the other day. I remember when we played (U)SC. The first time SC threw a fade route (to 6-foot-5 Dwayne Jarrett), he intercepted it. A fade route is the toughest to defend. But he came down with the pick. That tells you something about him."Eyes on Brennan

UH quarterback Colt Brennan was named to the Maxwell Award preseason "watch list."

The Maxwell Award honors the nation's top collegiate player.

"I like that," Brennan said. "That's cool. That's a national honor. When you play (football) video games and you go through a whole season, one of the awards you want your players to win is the Maxwell Award. It's cool I'm on that list. That's really good motivation to work even harder. I'm excited about that."

As a sophomore in 2005, his first year at UH, Brennan led the nation in total offense (371.3 yards per game), passing yards (4,301), touchdown passes (35) and points responsible for (19.7 per game).

There are 60 players on the watch list, including 26 quarterbacks.

PULLING THEIR WEIGHT

The start of the Warriors' conditioning program was moved from yesterday to next week. Still, there was a large turnout for weight training yesterday morning and passing drills in the afternoon.

Free safety Leonard Peters, UH's team captain last year, said "all of the (players) who are in Hawai'i are turning out for the workouts."

While some Mainland players returned home, Peters said, "they should all be back in a couple of weeks. By the end of this month, everybody should be back."

Each morning, Peters departs at 5:30 from his family home on the North Shore.

"It's nothing," Peters said of the drive.

Defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis said he arrives at UH at 6:30 a.m. He lifts in the morning, attends summer-school classes, and runs in the afternoon.

"It's not work if you love it," said Alama-Francis, who now weighs 282 pounds. "I have to maintain that, get stronger, and work on my speed. I'm trying to beat some people this year."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.