Swim moves and straight speed are what made everyone wonder what Hauoli Jamora could become.
Looping around stagnant offensive tackles during his true freshman season in 2010, Jamora made 49 tackles and had three sacks.
As the season progressed, so did he. By the end of the year Washington relied on him enough to often bump Everette Thompson inside to tackle on the depleted defensive line.
Jamora did plenty. The world is expected of him now, just more than four months removed from the Holiday Bowl. Its not just fans or the media prone to the give-it-now syndrome. Even coaches have to hit the brakes.
As a coach, sometimes you want things to happen really fast, defensive coordinator Nick Holt said. You need to be realistic.
Holt anticipates reality to be something like Jamora being an exceptional problem for opponents at defensive end.
I thought he ended up being a really good football player as a true freshman, Holt said. Now, I want him to take it to the next level and make more plays. Have more sacks. Play a lot better. Hes more physical than he was because hes stronger and he needs to just keep maturing.
Jamora said he is just shy of 250 pounds. Hovering around 249, he hopes to eventually get to 255 or 260 pounds. He motored around last season approximately 238.
I feel comfortable so far (with the new weight), Jamora said. I dont want to overdo it. Ill get up and shave it down to a little chisel.
He laughed when explaining the chiseling parts and that he was unlikely to take tips from albatross Alameda Taamu. Though the young Hawaiian is catching technique tips from a quality source.
All-time Washington sack leader Daniel Teo-Nesheim has been roaming around practice in his standard getup of hooded sweatshirt and flip-flops, weather be damned. Hes talked to Jamora after practice about the nuances of being a defensive end.
Teo-Nesheim explained a simple shift in pre-snap positioning followed by proper leverage can solve problems.
I was lined up too tight and straight forward, Jamora said. So when they would run my way, I would have to try to loop step almost to over compensate for the space taken up. So he told me to widen out a little bit and tilt so I can stop the (offensive) lineman right there and hold the edge.
Teo-Nesheim, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, also explained tendencies of the average tackle.
Washington’s defensive line finally has some continuity this spring following last seasons struggle with depleted bodies.
Thompson, Jamora, Taamu, Josh Shirley, Sione Potoae, Chris Robinson and Lawrence Lagafuaina all appear in position to contribute. Hearing the whistle with a known quantity lined up next to another is finally an advantage for this line that dealt with the injuries during the second half of last season.
It goes a lot better when were doing stunts or blitzes and you know the guy next to you has been through that situation before, Jamora said. It feels a lot more comfortable and were all together in our movement.
Jamora trails Teo-Nesheim by 27 sacks. The soft-spoken islander says personal sack numbers have little relevance to him.
Im not worried about any numbers about sacks, Jamora said. If Alameda gets a sack, Im just as happy as if I got the sack. Same with Everette or Josh or whoever.
Count Holt in that lot, too, even if he has to wait a bit longer.
