Last October, in preparation of their game against Idaho,
coaches from the University of Hawaii football team approached
redshirted left tackle Brett Leonard with a bit of a challenge, and
threw him for somewhat of a loop at the same time.
As a member of the scout team, Leonard was asked to replicate
the play of Idaho’s Mike Iupati, who didn’t play left tackle, but
was arguably the best left guard in the country and was later a
first-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers.
HOLLISTER
Last October, in preparation of their game against Idaho, coaches from the University of Hawaii football team approached redshirted left tackle Brett Leonard with a bit of a challenge, and threw him for somewhat of a loop at the same time.
As a member of the scout team, Leonard was asked to replicate the play of Idaho’s Mike Iupati, who didn’t play left tackle, but was arguably the best left guard in the country and was later a first-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers.
“They wanted me to portray him,” said Leonard, who noticed right away the obvious discrepancy in positions. Redshirted, Leonard was listed on the depth chart as the No. 3 left tackle for the Warriors — he was only to be used in an emergency situation — and was better preparing himself for his next two seasons at Hawaii.
In this case, that meant mimicking the moves of a future NFL guard.
“It was a bit of a challenge because of the player he was,” said Leonard, a San Benito High graduate of 2006.
“We all know what he did.”
Studying just about anything he could of Iupati, who was a consensus 2009 All-American, Leonard played the Iupati role for the scout team perhaps not as well as Iupati would have, of course, but well enough for coaches to see how good he was at the guard position.
Two months later, coaches confirmed any initial inklings Leonard had when he was formally asked to be the team’s starting left guard in 2010.
“I think I played it my freshmen year in high school,” said Leonard, who was admittedly hesitant at first of the switch after playing tackle for so many years.
But for the Hollister native, who’s turned heads at Hawaii with his ability to play multiple positions during his redshirt year, the new role was simply another way of helping the team.
“They gave me a choice, but I think guard is where my future is at,” said Leonard, who is currently listed at 6-foot-5, 314 pounds. “They’re looking out for me and what’s best for the team. I think it might be better for me, too, because I’m not 6-foot-7.
“Six-foot-five guys are usually guards.”
Although in Leonard’s case, 6-foot-5 guys can line up anywhere on the offensive line.
The 21-year-old lineman made a name for himself at the tackle position while attending Saddleback College, a junior college in Mission Viejo. Mentored by offensive line coach Jackie Slater, a seven-time Pro Bowler who played 20 seasons in the NFL with the Rams organization, Leonard was named all-conference second team as a sophomore, and was part of an offense that averaged more than 482 yards and nearly 40 points per game.
He was a tackle coming out of high school, too, where he helped lead the Balers to the Large School Division championship in 2005.
But at Hawaii, where he is currently listed as the No. 1 left guard entering the 2010 season, Leonard could prove to be more dynamic; he’s expected to see some time at center after one his teammates suffered an injury during spring practice.
“I’ll be starting somewhere. I may see some snaps at center in camp, but left guard is where I’ll probably end up at,” Leonard said.
“I figure it will be just another weapon for myself, where I can tell someone that I’ve played all the positions.”
Coming out of high school, that was never the case. In fact, playing Division I football wasn’t even on the radar for Leonard, who back then stood at 6-foot-3, 260 pounds. The recent graduate had zero offers from big-time programs, and received one letter from San Jose City College.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said Leonard, who opted to follow his brother to Gavilan College upon graduation, but blew out his knee shortly thereafter and was forced to greyshirt.
The Hollister resident sought a change of pace following the injury and transferred to Saddleback, where he developed under Slater and became not only a top recruit, but also an honorable mention all-american as a sophomore, when he allowed just two sacks all year against some of the best JC pass rushers in the country.
With zero offers on the table just two years prior, Leonard now had a choice — Kansas, Cal, Marshall, Nevada, UTEP and San Diego State all pined for his services.
But it was Hawaii’s locale, culture and passion that intrigued Leonard, who visited Honolulu for his very first trip, and decided not to visit anywhere else.
“You always kind of wonder what could have happened, but I definitely have no regrets with a place where I could start for two years,” Leonard said. “The culture is something you don’t see too much in Hollister, and the support of the fans was a big thing.
“Football is huge out here. High school itself is big. But when it comes to college, there is no pro team, there is no semi-pro team. It’s the University of Hawaii.”
Crediting his quick turnaround to the work ethic that was instilled by his parents and San Benito head coach Chris Cameron, Leonard now has two seasons in front of him as the Warriors’ starting guard. He expects to graduate after the fall semester, leaving plenty of time for the football field, the weight room, or perhaps even a little graduate work in psychology.
Despite being named Player of the Year for the Hawaii scout team last season — an award that often goes to skill-position players — Leonard hasn’t played in a live game of football since transferring from Saddleback nearly a year and a half ago.
In other words, Hawaii’s season opener on Sept. 2 against USC can’t come soon enough for Leonard, who feels he’s now better prepared for the next two years of his life on the gridiron, whether it be at center, tackle or starting left guard.
“I’ll go where the team needs me, and right now they need me at left guard,” Leonard said. “I’ll try to do my best there.
“I’ve got two years to make stuff happen.”
