Four years ago, Laupepa Letuli was a heralded football recruit.

Now he is thriving as a sleeper.

Letuli, who is the Hawai'i football team's No. 1 offensive right tackle, credits his ascent to maturity, a renewed commitment to training and "prehab." His preventative rehabilitation program includes taking rest breaks each day.

One of his uncles, a former pro football player, recommended proper rest to complement weight training and conditioning drills.

"I have little naps during the day," Letuli said. "It helps a lot."

After playing several positions and enduring numerous injuries, Letuli appears to have found a place.

Of his injuries, Letuli said: "Every year it was something small or something big. It always hurt me in playing, which sucks. I have to overcome those. I try not to think about it."

Last year, Letuli competed at left tackle. Before that, he was used at guard, tight end, running back and defensive end.

"I was learning new positions every semester or every year," Letuli said. "I was slowly learning bits and pieces."

Offensive line coach Gordy Shaw said the staff decided that Aaron Kia was entrenched at left tackle. In the search for a right tackle, Shaw said, "We were looking for the next best talented guy (behind Kia), and (Letuli) was the obvious guy. He took to it like duck takes to water."

Shaw said the 6-foot-4, 320-pound Letuli has the strength and skill.

"We worked on his technique," Shaw said. "We're giving him things to make his confidence very high. When his confidence is high, he plays very well."

Letuli said: "I'm a lot more focused."

SNAPPING TO IT

Chad Preacher?

"They only know your name if you mess up," said Preacher, who is competing to be the successor to long-snapper Jake Ingram. "Following the guy who snapped last year is kind of a big deal. He was the best one in the country. I've been watching his films. He doesn't mess up."

At the urging of his father, Preacher learned to long-snap at an early age.

"I kept doing that all through high school," said Preacher, a freshman who was raised in El Dorado, Calif. "I played all of the positions, but I stayed with that. It was my door to get into college football."

As a Ponderosa High senior, he said, "I tried to find a place that needed a long-snapper."

The choice was easy.

"It's Hawai'i," he said. "It's beautiful out here. It has great people."

Preacher tries to snap every day. During the summers, he works out for two hours, often alone.

"You know one of those baseball nets you throw to?" Preacher said. "I've got the same thing. I got that for my 16th birthday. I throw it, and it bounces back. I tried to have my mom (serve as a receiver). She was out on the lawn and dad would be at work. I tried to snap it to her, but she couldn't do it. That's why we got the net."

SAFETY FIRST

Lametrius Davis continues to impress coaches with his play at safety.

Thing is, he moves to cornerback next week.

And then back to safety. And then corner ...

"If our safeties come along, he might play corner," said associate head coach Rich Miano, who coordinates the secondary. "If not, he might play safety."

Davis was a cornerback in high school and at Butte Community College. He enrolled at UH in January.

"The scheme is different here," said Davis, who was a bump-and-run defender at Butte.

The Warriors often play in a zone. In the scheme, the corner has to be in sync with the linebackers.

"He was more of a man corner," Miano said. "He's got some work to do. We've got four months, and he's learning the system."

Davis will align as either a left corner or a right safety. The Warriors are dividing the safety duties into left and right instead of strong and free.

"I'm starting to feel comfortable," Davis said.