By Jarin Kobashigawa.
This week on HFN 24, Jordan Helle and Hunter Hughes talk about coaching chemistry and its importance of as it relates to players’ individual success and the team’s success. Helle and Hughes also discuss the football program’s scholarship management, roster construction and walk-on tryouts which are on Feb. 25.
Per Coach Timmy Chang’s post on Instagram, we are fewer than 200 days away from kickoff which seems both near and distant at the same time. Needless to say, we cannot wait for the day when we kick things off at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex.
Coaching Chemistry
One of the hallmarks of a successful football program is the coaching staff and the chemistry that they are able to leverage to become more cohesive. Helle and Hughes anticipate that Coach Chang is being very strategic about the coaches he is bringing in, not only looking at their skills and experience but also overlapping coaching jobs so there is reason to believe that together the staff will gel.
The latest additions of Quality Control Coach Jimbo Davis and Safeties Coach Josh Brown are just the two most recent hires in Chang’s coaching staff. On defense, Hughes said other than the middle linebackers, strong safeties will play a similar role to quarterbacks on the defensive side of the ball. So then, the hire of Coach Brown is important for obvious reasons but is also strategic because, in the past, he coached with Coach Chang and Defensive Coordinator Jacob Yoro.
Roster Construction and Scholarships
With a good chunk of scholarships at Coach Chang’s disposal, he mentioned that he intends to take their time and sign the guys that will fit within the team. There are a lot of players who are waiting or entering the transfer portal and so to Helle, it seems like the program is keeping their options open.
Hughes said roster construction in today’s environment is kind of like poker where you don’t want to go all-in at the beginning. With all of the versatility that the transfer portal allows for, players might sign to play at UH at the beginning of Fall camp. The opportunity to find a diamond in the rough or fill in supporting roles on Walk-on Tryouts Day which is on Feb. 25 is exciting given the program’s historical success.
Helle and Hughes round off the episode by talking about Khoury Bethley’s announcement to play his last season of college football at Arizona State University, a Power Five school.
Mahalo to Spectrum, Zanthosyn, and Hawaii USA Federal Credit Union for sponsoring HFN!