As Hawaii’s menacing pass rusher, Kaimana Padello’s best moves are when he turns the corner and storms the backfield.
It is a tactic Padello has honed between classes on the Manoa campus.
“I’m walking around school, and I’m about to turn a corner, I’ll throw a little dip in there, something slight,” Padello said of lowering a shoulder. “There will be poles in my way, and I’ll step to the side, do a little club grip, a club swim. I like to walk around, dip around corners really tight. It’s fun because sometimes people will be walking, and I won’t see them, so I’m coming down real low, and they’ll be like, ‘Oh.’ They’ll be really shocked. Oh, snap. I have to avoid them, too.”
So far, Padello has not run into a student. And, similar to opposing players, the poles have not blocked Padello yet.
Entering his senior season, Padello has developed into the Rainbow Warriors’ most prolific pass rusher since Travis LaBoy. In a 40-game UH career, 44.1% of Padello’s defensive tackles have been in an opposing team’s backfield. His average tackle nets minus-3.1 yards.
Padello carried 200 pounds on a 6-foot frame when he joined the Warriors as a walk-on in July 2016. At the time, rush ends Jahlani Tavai, Jerrol Garcia-Williams, Makani Kema-Kaleiwahea and Meffy Koloamatangi were at least 2 inches taller and 35 pounds heavier.
“That was definitely a shocker,” said Padello, a 2016 Mililani High graduate. “You come in, and these guys are stronger and faster and heavier. I’m like, shoot, this is college football. I don’t have the weight. I had to figure out how to get on the football field.”
He volunteered for special teams, where he could work on his tackling while gaining strength. Last year, new defensive coordinator Corey Batoon implemented a scheme that involved a hybrid end assigned to pass rush or drop into coverage. The hybrid matched Padello’s skill-set. “I didn’t need to bury my head against guards,” said Padello, who aligned on the edge. “That’s where I really got my shot.”
Last season, Padello had team highs in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (13.5). He was named the Warriors’ most inspirational player.
“It’s being a technician,” said Padello, who now weighs 230. “I understand my size. I understand I don’t have the reach. But I understand where to put my body. I understand where to have my legs, my feet, my hands, my eyes.”
Padello spends hours studying videos, dissecting opponents’ formations and techniques. “You can’t go chest to chest with (taller blockers),” Padello said. “You have to learn how to have correct leverage. If I slip up once, it’s disastrous. I can’t recover with the strength or speed. I have to be in perfect position every single play.”
No. Rush end Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
96 Kaimana Padello 6-0 230 Sr. Mililani
48 Derek Thomas 6-2 225 Jr. Huntington Beach, Calif.
42 Jonah Kahahawai-Welch 6-2 230 Fr. Kailua
97 Zach Ritner 6-3 240 Fr. Mission Viejo, Calif.
No. Defensive end Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
99 Jonah Laulu 6-5 280 Fr. Las Vegas
43 Mason Vega 6-3 280 Jr. Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
49 Pumba Williams 6-2 245 Sr. Honolulu
90 Fanupo Peapealalo 6-3 275 Sr. Oceanside, Calif.
No. Nose tackle Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
55 Blessman Ta‘ala 6-1 300 So. Aua, American Samoa
69 Azia Se‘ei 5-11 275 Sr. Honolulu
66 Eperone Moananu 6-2 290 Sr. Pago Pago, American Samoa
No. Defensive tackle Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown
95 Kendall Hune 6-3 285 Sr. Carmel, Ind.
91 Samiuela Akoteu 6-2 280 Sr. Inglewood, Calif.
92 DJuan Matthews 5-11 280 Jr. Houston
QUOTE:
”You’ve got guys who played last year, like Blessman (Ta‘ala), who doesn’t say a word, and a kid from Indiana (Kendall Hune) who is coming out of his shell and being more of a spokesman, and young guys like Jonah (Laulu) who is spontaneous in his personality. You see all these different things meshing and maturing together. It’s exciting.” — Ricky Logo, defensive line coach.
SCOUTING REPORT
The Warriors’ base is a four-man front, but it also can branch off to an odd look depending on the subpackage or if the hybrid is used as a rush end or flat defender. Kaimana Padello is a disruptive pass rusher. Derek Thomas, who was recruited as quarterback stalker, has developed into a solid run defender. The end position known as “Bandit” can be used as a second rush end or a third interior lineman, much like how the Pittsburgh Steelers used the end in their heyday 3-4 scheme. The Warriors are three-deep at the nose. Kendall Hune is an athletic 3-technique defender who showed his agility with a diving interception in the SoFi Hawaii Bowl.
