By Jarin Kobashigawa.
Hawaii Football Now Ep: 22 welcomes in the Hawaiʻi Rainbow Warrior’s 25th Head Coach, Timmy Chang. The Saint Louis alumnus and UH legend previously held the NCAA record for career passing yards with 17,072. This will be Chang’s first head coaching job, but he does have experience as a wide receivers coach at Colorado State, grad assistant at SMU, and offensive coordinator at Emory & Henry and Jackson State.
Jordan Helle and Hunter Hughes also discuss the details of the June Jones contract which was offered before Chang’s. A lot remains unknown when it comes to UH football including how Chang will manage NCAA signing day, UH football walk-on tryouts, and choosing his coaching staff.
#BRADDAHHOOD
As Helle said, social media is sometimes the worst, but sometimes it can do some good. After Todd Graham’s resignation and prior to the announcement of Chang as the new head coach, the hashtag #braddahhood surfaced on social media and was adopted by UH football players and fans as a way of bonding with one another. Hughes described the initiative as an independent unity and said this was a high point in UH football in the last few weeks.
“Families always make the best football teams,” said Hughes. These types of teams leverage their off-the-field relationships and often play with more unity and grit. It is impressive and uplifting to see the team have this bonding despite the negativity around the program and while no head coach was around to lead the charge. The impact continued and was elevated when Chang followed suit and made his own post using the #braddahhood.
New Head Coach: Timmy Chang
If it wasn’t going to be June Jones, Hughes said Timmy Chang was his next pick. Hughes said in Episode 21, that he was looking for someone with local ties and longevity so they could grow with the program. Chang, being one of the Hawaii football legends and as someone who is only 40 years old, fits the description.
The majority of the online buzz before the hiring announcement seemed to be in support of June Jones. Even Helle and Hughes said in Ep 21 that Jones seemed like the likely pick. However, even after Jones confirmed his interest on social media and expressed his ability to reroute the program, Jones declined the offer put forth by AD David Matlin saying “No coach in their right mind would accept!”
In David Matlin’s Press Conference held on Jan. 25, one day after the recording of Ep 22, Matlin explains that his ideal plan was unique in that it was a succession plan which incorporated Jones and Chang. Matlin said he allocated three hours to talk with Jones and had President David Lassner on standby to if an agreement was made. However, after only 30 minutes, Jones was not satisfied with a three-year contract (which was negotiated up from two years) and the conditions regarding the hiring of assistant coaches, and the meeting ended.
Just a few hours after Dan Meisenzahl’s Press Conference on Jan. 22, which was largely called to explain answer questions around Jones declining the job, Chang’s was hired. Information on Chang’s contract outlines his compensation and performance incentives. Per Hawaii Football’s tweet on Jan. 26, we now know some of the staff that will be added to Chang’s coaching staff.
Over the next couple of weeks, Hughes said what needs to be on Chang’s priority list is connecting with the team and gaining support from the local community. The journey to the 2022 season continues and develops with every passing week.
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#GoBows #HawaiiFB #hawaii #football #HawaiiFootballNow #BRADDAHHOOD