When Brad Kalilimoku stares at the mirror, his past is reflected.

He does not see the chiseled University of Hawai'i football player who can bench press 430 pounds and run 40 yards in 4.5 seconds.

Instead, he sees the skinny kid from Pauoa Valley; the one who is faster than the other kids at Booth Park but not fast enough to catch up to the legacy of his older brother.

His UH teammates marvel at his work — and workout — ethic.

His coach, June Jones, notes that Kalilimoku "is totally committed to getting better. I'm amazed at how he keeps getting faster and stronger."

And yet, as the poets say, the 5-foot-10, 205-pound Roosevelt High School graduate does not see himself as others see him.

"It's molded into my mentality," he says. "No matter how big I get, I still feel I'm undersized and I have to keep working. I can't get it out of my head. It's a good thing, I guess, because it motivates me."

He works out for several hours every day, mixing weight training with running and aerobic exercises. To focus on this season, he cut down on his social life, even breaking up with his girlfriend.

"I kind of want her to do her thing, and I want to do my thing, and I kind of want to stay focused," he says. "I really want it that bad."

Kalilimoku, a senior who could earn an extra season if he earns enough credits this year, is the starting strong safety entering Thursday's start of training camp.

He took a break from his training to discuss his Christian faith, the move from outside linebacker to inside, and why he likes to tackle cows.

On serving as a youth coach this summer:

"I like working with kids. They're inspirational. There's this little kid who tells me, 'You're my best friend.' It motivates you to be a positive person, a role model. It helps to push me harder in school and in football."

On his football background:

"I've played football all my life. When I was small, I played running back. I wasn't into it so much. But at one point, I transitioned into it. My dad was my linebacker coach at Roosevelt. We didn't have enough linebackers, so he asked me to try out. My two uncles and my dad were always coaches. We were always around football. My uncle Jimmy was my strength coach in high school. I played football, and after the season, I would lift with my cousins.

"I started loving the sport. When I started getting more aggressive, I was feeling it. It's fun to play with the big boys, and you get to hit people. For me, just being undersized, it makes me feel better to know I can play with the big boys. I try to beat the odds and prove people wrong."

On his older brother, Chad Kalilimoku, a former UH linebacker and junior college All-American:

"I was always in my brother's shadow. It doesn't help that our names rhyme. My mom gets our names mixed up sometimes. My grandma does that, too. The (Roosevelt) teachers used to call me 'Chad,' or they said, 'Oh, you're Chad's brother.' He would be the one who would do things before me. He's got his own path. But where he was at, that's where I wanted to be."

On his slim youth:

"When I was young, I was skinny, especially when people compared me to my brother. It was like 'before' and 'after.' I'm not the tallest person, too. I'm between 5-10 and 5-11. I have no clue how tall. But it makes me work on my vert so I can compete with people who are taller."

On his weight training:

"My brother took the weight. I've got less weight. He's really stronger than me. I'm strong, but not as strong as he is. I'm trying to keep up with him. I have a bet with him. By the end of my senior year, hopefully, I'll hit 500 (pounds in the bench press). He did that. He really set the bar higher. That's my goal."

On avoiding the nightlife:

"This summer, I went out a couple of times, usually with friends. Clubs are not for me. I'm not in one of those modes. I don't like to go out and stay out late. It'll affect me the next day, especially if I have to lift in the morning. Some people can just get up. I tried that a couple of times. But when I tried to lift, I wasn't at my best. I can tell. I'm like, 'I was lifting this the other time and now I'm only lifting this much.' Football is my job. Everything around it, I want to discipline myself. Staying out late, partying — I don't really need that right now."

On turning 21:

"I made 21 on April 2. I went to Vegas to lose money. I lost, like, $700. I don't know what happened to beginner's luck. My dad said to just go up there for entertainment. If you go up there thinking you're going to win, and you don't, you're going to be all mad. It was good. I laughed about it. That's all I could do. I went back up the next month, and then I made like $120."

On his free time:

"When I'm not playing football, I like to go to (Kualoa) Ranch. I ride at Kualoa. I've been riding there for more than four years. We rope. We do cattle work. We do branding. I help out. It's a good thing. You get away from the city life. When you're riding the horse, you can look around and relax. It's peaceful and quiet.

"I'll help with the branding. We round them up, and take them to a pen. We'll have 100 calves. We have to bring them down, and hold them down. They'll rope the leg or the head, then we'll tackle them. We're tackling the calves. I like it. I like to tackle. When we do the branding, I'm the one who does the tackling. I sit on the calf, hold it down, and somebody else brands it. We'll do a hundred a day. It's like a season's worth of tackles. It's a strong animal. It reminds me of the linemen."

On being offered a scholarship by Oregon:

"I couldn't go (because of) some family reasons. I talked to my coach. Things didn't work out. I've gotten over it. I made the best of it."

On his post-Roosevelt year:

"I went to HPU for one year, to get my grades up. I had a choice to go to a community college for two years and then come back. I wanted to stay here."

On his initial experience at UH:

"I came here as a walk-on (in August 2004), and (the coaches) told me I had to go to scout team. I was like, 'Oh, my goodness.' I was never on a scout team before. There was me, Timo (Paepule), Rustin (Saole), Micah Lau. I got to a point where I was like, 'How am I on the scout team?' I kind of got upset about it. I was like, 'I'm going to try my hardest and do what I can do.'

"I remember there was this one play (in practice). I was supposed to blitz. I came off the edge. (The coaches don't allow the pass-rushers to) get close to the quarterback. (Running back Michael) Brewster was ready to block me, so I kind of spun around him. The quarterback was right in front of my face. I stepped to the side, and Brewster came from behind, and he hit the quarterback because he tried to hit me. The coaches liked the way I worked hard. It was good after that."

On graduating from the scout team at the end of training camp:

"Time flies so fast. I moved to third or fourth string (as the weakside linebacker). It was kind of good. It made me work even harder. I know T.J. (Moe) was on the first team. Then Paul Lutu-Carroll, then Lincoln (Manutai), then me. I slowly moved up. After a while I was starting (as a first-year Warrior)."

On receiving a scholarship:

"Maybe two months after I came in, we had a (team) meeting in the lecture hall. Coach Jones announced he was awarding two scholarships. He said my name. When he said my name, I was so shocked I actually wanted to cry. I worked so hard for it. It was something I wanted. I set goals before I came here. The first was to at least make the team. If I made the team, then I wanted to make special teams. Those were the two goals I had for myself. I accomplished more than I thought I could. I got to make the team. I got a scholarship. I got to go on road trips. I got to start. That was just crazy for me. It made me work even harder. I thanked coach Jones for it. I gave coach a letter thanking him. I really appreciated it."

On being moved to inside linebacker last year after starting five games at outside linebacker in 2004:

"When (defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville) moved me inside, I was like, 'OK.' I wasn't worried about my size. If I have to bring it, I'll bring it. Even if I get run over, I'll take it."

On moving to strong safety in spring practice:

"I think strong safety is the best spot for me. But I miss the action (at inside linebacker). I liked the fact that I was in the middle, messing around with the linemen, and worrying about the run. Now that I'm in the secondary, I don't get to hit the fullback. I have to be more patient."

On adjusting to the new position:

"I have to work on my pass coverage. It'll be a good test. You're always going to have issues. It's another obstacle for me to overcome. The whole ride can't be smooth."

On suffering a pulled hamstring in the middle of spring training:

"I was so upset. I was like, 'I can't believe it. I pulled my hamstring.' I'm still working on it.

"I like to lift heavy a lot. Even when I was doing leg presses, I go heavy. There are eight plates, and I'll do one leg at a time. Sometimes I think I have to cut down on the weights, but I don't want to get weaker. I have to do more stretching (to avoid injuries)."

On his faith:

"I'm a Christian. I go to New Hope. I started my junior year in high school. I went to church by myself. You know when you're the same way for a certain amount of time? I tried (the church) out. I liked it. It made me smarter about life, and thinking about stuff. It makes me more positive. I'll be baptized pretty soon. I want to make sure the time is right."

On his family:

"I live in Kapolei, but during the season, I try to stay with my grandma (in Pauoa). I try to keep her company. She's about 82. My grandma talks a lot. She should have her own news channel about Pauoa Valley. She can talk for days."

On his life:

"I feel blessed. I know everyone is blessed in life, but I know there are people who have harder lives. I want to help out. Instead of going to the clubs and partying, I could be more productive in giving my time to someone who needs help. That's what I try to do."

Reach Stephen Tsai at stsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.