From HawaiiWarriorBeat.com:
It has been more than seven years, but the Hawai’i football team’s Inoke Funaki once again is the No. 1 quarterback.”It’s good pressure,” Funaki said. “It definitely has me on my horse, working a lot harder than I ever have before.”
Funaki, who will be a junior in the fall, was the No. 3 quarterback behind starter Colt Brennan and Tyler Graunke last season. Brennan completed his NCAA eligibility at the end of the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl, and Graunke is suspended from team activities after breaking team-oriented rules.
Funaki, who will turn 25 next month, is on track to enter the March 31 start of spring practice as the No. 1 quarterback. He is at the top of the depth chart for the first time since December 2001, when he led Kahuku High to the state football championship.
After serving a church mission in the Dominican Republic, Funaki rejoined the Warriors as a 22-year-old freshman in 2005. He redshirted that season, then spent the next two years as the No. 3 quarterback.
“Before, I worked hard, but a lot of times you feel you’re in the back, and it’s hard to get out of that situation,” Funaki said. “There’s definitely more motivation now. The best thing I can do is work hard, don’t hold back, give it my all. It’ll help elevate the level of play for everyone else.”
Funaki acknowledged that his easy-going demeanor might be misinterpreted. He is a youth leader in the Mormon church. He also has a playful side, sometimes roller-skating between the athletic complex and the practice field.