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The first reason: the offensive lineman literally grew up on an island in Wai’anae, Hawaii (Honolulu), where he “was always at the beach and enjoying that island life� with his nine other siblings (seven brothers and two sisters), Decambra said.

Decambra hails from a “big golf family� and “about six of my brothers play golf, so we always play together and it’s something I always look forward to,� he said.

Decambra started playing golf at 9 years old, and his best round is an 83.

“I’m not very good,� he joked.

The other component to Decambra’s island lifestyle is playing offensive tackle, a position on the offensive line that’s on the quote-unquote island for blocking defensive ends or blitzing linebackers.

Not only is Decambra living outside of Hawaii for the first time in his life, the UA offensive lineman is playing a position he has never played before at center. The redshirt senior began playing center after he transferred from Hawaii in the spring. Decambra said moving from tackle and guard to center “was definitely a transition, for sure.�

“It was a little harder than I expected,� Decambra said. “Going through the spring, it got easier as I took more reps. I’ve played a lot of football and I knew that I could do it. If that’s what the team needs, then that’s what I’m going to do at the end of the day. Whatever is best for the team.�

Decambra’s given first name is Blaine. Ka’ena is part of his middle name, which is Ka’enalai’ehukai. Decambra said Ka’ena is Hawaiian for “fiery, hot name� and Ehukai is Hawaiian for “sea spray.�

“It’s like the sea breeze makes a lei over my name, cooling my name down,� Decambra said.

Decambra played tackle for Honolulu football powerhouse Saint Louis School, where he was teammates with former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ star offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea, who’s entering his rookie season with the Miami Dolphins, and quarterback Jayden de Laura. Saint Louis won the state championship Decambra’s junior season in 2019.

In 2021, Decambra signed with the hometown Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, which was led by former ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ State head coach Todd Graham. Decambra played three seasons under current Hawaii head coach Timmy Chang.

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s season opener against Hawaii on Aug. 30 will be a “full-circle moment,â€� Decambra said.

“I played at Hawaii for four years, so now that I get the opportunity to play them, it’s definitely a full-circle moment,� Decambra said. “I’m excited for those guys and I’m excited for us.�

When the 6-3, 308-pound Decambra was exploring his options in the transfer portal, “I felt like I was at home, and I knew that I just wanted to play here,� he said.

“Coming from a Polynesian family, family and love is a big thing,� said Decambra. “I felt that at this place. It’s a place that I definitely wanted to play at. ... I always knew I wanted to leave home out of high school, but I just never got that opportunity. I always knew I wanted to go, but now that I finally got it, I like it. It wasn’t a hard transition for me. I know why I’m here, I know why I’m playing this game and who I do it for.�

In Decambra’s last three seasons at Hawaii, he surrendered seven sacks in 1,131 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, and played 827 total snaps at left tackle, 190 at right tackle and 553 at right guard. When Decambra arrived at ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, center “was a position they needed me at,â€� he said.

“They felt like I could do it, so I’m embracing that role right now,� Decambra said.

However, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ redshirt junior Grayson Stovall, who strictly plays center and is competing with Decambra for the starting role, has multiple years playing the position, albeit he has 83 total snaps played and one start in three seasons.

Pick your poison, if you’re ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥: an experienced center with limited game reps or an experienced offensive lineman with several years of game reps and is green to playing center, “one of those positions that’s vitally important to the overall success of not just the unit but the offense,â€� said ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ offensive line coach Josh Oglesby.

Oglesby said “the spring was an opportunity to get both of them exposure to that, and those two did a really good job this spring from the two different sides of the coin they were on.�

“That’s going to be a fun thing to watch because Grayson has a lot of experience, but KD is a guy that played multiple spots on the offensive line,â€� added ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ head coach Brent Brennan. “He’s a big, athletic kid. He’s a tough, physical kid, which you like that, and he’s also smart. That position has to be one of your most intelligent players. They have to manage so much from the center position, so that’s going to be one of those battles that’s going to be fun to watch.â€�

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s starting center will be decided in the near future, “not just for the fact that he works with (quarterback Noah Fifita), but the continuity of the group in how he communicates, how he makes the calls, the non-verbal communication,â€� Oglesby said.

“The quicker we can get that sorted out, the better it’ll be for everybody, the other four guys, Noah and the offense as a whole,â€� said ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s offensive line coach.

The inception of Decambra playing center was during his official visit in December.

“Getting to talk to him and his demeanor and learning about his football IQ was when I thought there was a chance we could move this guy inside,� Oglesby said. “One, he’s smart, but he also has a calm demeanor and he won’t freak out and fly off the handle when the bullets start flying at center.�

Decambra’s official visit was also when he clicked with QB1 (Fifita), who sent the offensive lineman follow-up text messages to recruit him to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.

“The quarterback reaching out to me, I felt that love,� Decambra said. “Guys like that made me want to come out here.�

Decambra and Fifita “have bonded in a lot of ways off the field, at the house and in the facility, just chilling,� Fifita said.

“He’s a workhorse, he’s a dude,� Fifita said of Decambra. “Every time adversity hits, he’s the one that’s going to rise. He’s going to lead the offensive line and lead this offense. I’m a big believer in KD.�

The quarterback-center tandem often work together away from the practice field to develop their chemistry as the anchors of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥â€™s offense.

“Getting those reps off the field, that’s where that bond really comes in,� Decambra said. “Hanging out with each other off the field, doing drills after practice. Thing like that help that bond because we have to think alike.�

Fortunately for Decambra, his predecessor Josh Baker — who worked with Fifita the last two seasons — is a volunteer coach for the Wildcats after starting at center for three straight seasons and playing over 2,500 snaps at the position for the Wildcats.

“It’s awesome that Bake is here to help us out because he’s done it in games and lived that life,� Oglesby said. “He did a great job of coming in every day to watch extra film, ask questions in the spring. He was fantastic that way and he did a lot to mitigate those growing pains.�

Baker is “one of the best I’ve seen when it comes to preparation as an O-Lineman,� Fifita said.

“He has definitely helped that room in terms of scheme, preparation and expectations,� added Fifita.

Baker has assisted Decambra with “the mental side of the game,� and the former multi-year starter “helps simplify things, because he played center for four or five years here,� Decambra said.

“The biggest thing at center is having that mindset of putting everybody on the right track, (identify) the right person and get us in the right look for that play, and Josh Baker makes that easy for me,� Decambra said. “He’s always communicating with me easier ways to contribute. ... There are some tricks and things I can do that will help me block.�

Snapping the football in shotgun and pistol formations was a challenging adjustment for Decambra, but “as I went through spring, I got more comfortable at snapping the ball,� he said.

Consistently “snapping the football is a lot harder than people think,� Oglesby said, but now “it’s almost natural to me, snapping the ball and getting off,� Decambra said.

Oglesby is helping Decambra “get in that mindset of knowing football, seeing the defense and knowing what’s going to happen before it happens.�

“He helps me prepare that way,� Decambra said.

“When I have that opportunity to go to the NFL, I’ll be ready.�

Extra points

– ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ kicked off fall training camp on Wednesday. Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark briefly attended practice on Wednesday and walked around the Davis Sports Center with UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois.

– Fifita threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Hunter in a team period. Kansas State transfer receiver Tre Spivey high-pointed a deep ball over freshman cornerback Gianni Edwards for a touchdown.

– In one of the final team periods, cornerback Ayden Garnes jumped a pass covering Hunter and intercepted Fifita for what would’ve been a pick-six.