Two University of Hawai'i football players learned about Hawai'i's healthy job market.

Left slotback Davone Bess and left wideout Jason Rivers yesterday picked up second starting jobs.

Head coach June Jones announced that Bess is the No. 1 punt returner and Rivers will be one of the two kick returners.

Jones' usual policy is to restrict a starting player from serving as a full-time punt returner until his senior year.

But Jones said Bess, a junior, will be an exception.

"Davone is the most natural punt returner I've seen," Jones said. "I'm going to let him do that."

Bess was allowed to return punts in UH's final two games last season. He returned five for an average of 16.6 yards, which would have led the Western Athletic Conference if he had met the minimum number of attempts.

"I'm happy for the chance," Bess said. "I'm excited. I've been working hard the past couple of years to prove to the coach and team I'm capable of handling the job. (Jones) has a lot of confidence in me. I want to make him proud, and not let him second guess giving me the spot."

Although several have auditioned as kick returners, Rivers will be awarded one of the spots, Jones insisted.

Until this summer, Rivers, a fifth-year senior, had not returned kicks since he was a senior at Saint Louis School in 2002.

"He has a future in the NFL," Jones said. "He can return kicks. He's a real strong guy. I want to give him an opportunity to get on film doing that."

Rivers said: "That's something I've always enjoyed doing. I haven't had the opportunity to do it in college. Before I was a receiver (in high school), I played running back. Kick returning makes me feel the same way. When I played running back, one little crease is what I needed to bust through."

When it comes to the coin toss, most teams prefer to defer, opting to receive the kickoff to start the second half. Not the Warriors.

"That's the No. 1 motivation for me — to be on the first play of the season," Rivers said. "If we win the toss, it's our kick return. That's our first offensive possession. I'd love nothing more than to take it to the house, get us started on the right foot."

THREE WARRIORS WILL REDSHIRT THIS SEASON

Jones said three members of the 2007 recruiting class — center Sila Lefiti, left tackle Ray Hisatake and defensive tackle Chris Leatigaga — will redshirt this season.

Lefiti, a 2007 graduate of Mater Dei High School in California, will not practice to focus on school work.

Hisatake and Leatigaga will continue to practice. They will redshirt provided they are not needed for emergency situations.

"That's fine with me," said Hisatake, who enrolled at UH in January after playing at College of San Mateo last season.

Hisatake did not play football in high school. He was a defensive lineman at San Mateo. He first played on the offensive line during UH's spring training in April.

"He's a great kid, and he's going to be a great player," Jones said. "He just hasn't had much experience on offense."

Hisatake said: "I'm really new to this position. A year off to learn everything would be great. I know I've come a long way already. To get better and hone a new skill is better for me and the team."

Leatigaga also has changed positions, moving from defensive end to defensive tackle. His progress was stunted when he missed several practices to attend summer school.

"I want to redshirt so I can get stronger and faster," said Leatigaga, who transferred from Foothill College in California. "Going from end to tackle is a big difference. It's a whole other ballgame playing in the middle."

LINEBACKER AHMAD 'BACK IN THE GAME'

After consulting with his assistant coaches, Jones decided that freshman linebacker Po'okela Ahmad will not redshirt this season.

Ahmad is a backup strongside linebacker and a member of three of the six special teams.

"I'm happy now that I get to play," said Ahmad, a 2006 Kapolei High graduate.

As a part-time UH student during the 2006-'07 academic year, Ahmad did not practice with the Warriors last season. His eligibility clock started this month, meaning he still has five years to play four seasons.

"I'm back in the game," Ahmad said.

Ahmad said he used his graduation money to pay for most of his tuition and school expenses last year.

"I have all of these jitters about getting back onto the field," Ahmad said.

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Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.