Hawaii and Todd Graham pt. 2

On Friday, the Hawaii state legislature convened to inquire into the state of the University of Hawaii football program. Spurred on by the recent amount of transfers from the program along with allegations of verbal abuse from Head Coach Todd Graham and his coaching staff, the three hour inquiry uncovered a lot of issues from the program and I will break it down, voicing some opinions of my own.

The Head Coach. It is no secret that Todd Graham has not left a favorable impression upon the people of Hawaii, especially die hard UH football fans. Now I’ve stated my position on Graham but that does not change certain facts. Graham has failed to learn Hawaii and island culture, trying to inject his personal mainland style of coaching into the program. He has turned some players against him as shown in the testimonies with some calling him a liar and the worst coach they ever met. There was an obvious divide when it came to scholarship and walk-on players along with claims that Graham’s actions have harmed players mental health. 19 players have entered the transfer portal and/or transferred to another program. Former UH player and Hawaii raised Leonard Lee is quoted by saying that Graham is “a tyrant” where as former UH player Derek Thomas is quoted as saying “Coach Graham truly has stripped the love and joy out of a lot of people for the sport.” Please note that Lee claims he was removed from the team for speaking out against Graham and his practices via a twitter space hosted by former UH players Darryl McBride Jr. and R.J. Hollis. Hollis who is a analyst and reports for local Hawaii sports network OC16 also spoke into more detail about how player morale was at an all time low as a result of Todd Graham.

Lee and Thomas were among a few players to speak against Graham, however others spoke in favor or positively about him. They did so via written testimony as for some reason they weren’t allowed to attend either in person or via zoom. To me, the most revealing testimony came from Kolby Wyatt. A UH tight end who transferred from the University of Georgia. He highlighted that certain players who played at Hawaii high school powerhouse St. Louis were treated better than at UH in terms of the meal program. He states that UH only offers two meals a day compared to the three at UGA, the weight room continues to be flooded and the facilities are not D1 standard. This troubles me greatly because these were the same issues that plagued UH football in the early 2000s and a reason for the departure of June Jones. UH committed a portion of the 2008 Sugar Bowl money towards renovating these facilities but that was over a decade ago.

When speaking of a culture fit, Graham was a failure. Will he adjust? Time will tell but I’m not putting my money on it. His comments about Hawaii being a third world country due to the lack of Dr. Pepper definitely didn’t win over any fans nor did the loss of native son Chevan Cordeiro to SJSU.

UH AD David Matlin was questioned about his commitment to Graham and doubled down in his support. When asked if he’d be winning to exercise Graham’s buyout if given the money, Matlin said no. He’s committed to Graham, even if it may cost him his job and career.

Here’s my analysis. The session was brought up because of the many issues in UH athletics, focusing on football. Hawaii State Senator Donna Mercado Kim (fun fact: she’s actually a distant relative of mine through marriage) said she brought forth the inquiry due multiple complains from various UH sports, not just football. Is UH a good program to play for? It breaks my heart but no. I am a native son of Hawaii. I am also a Hawaiian. Hawaii and UH football are incredible parts of my life. I’ve had the opportunity to tour the UH campus multiple times as well as participate in various sporting events at Clarence T.C. Ching stadium. I am also a proud graduate of UNLV. I toured their football facility multiple times. Both the campus and football facility at UNLV blows UH out of the water and UNLV is considered the lowest tier of Mountain West football. In terms of D1 programs, Hawaii is dead last in facilities. The dorms are cramped and lack AC. The campus is spread out and it is difficult to find parking. T.C. Ching is at the bottom of Mountain West stadiums. Even Aloha Stadium was run down and old. UNLV has had a stoke of luck that Hawaii may never find…money. The Fertitta’s (casino moguls and former owners of the UFC) invested millions into the program, Hawaii doesn’t have that type of support.

UH has a flooded weight room that they can’t fix. That’s disgraceful. I’m not sure how they do it at UH but football and basketball at UNLV have separate weight rooms. The other sports share one in a huge athletic complex separated from football and basketball. UH players eat inside Stan Sheriff because that’s the only place they have space.

There are JUCO programs with better facilities. Look at East Mississippi from Last Chance U for example. The state of Hawaii athletics from a facilities standpoint is a joke and how Hawaii doesn’t lose every game is beyond me.

Graham is an issue but not one that can’t be fixed. If he doesn’t improve his relationship with players or his record doesn’t justify the headache, he’s gotta go. However winning fixes all so only time will tell. I do sense that players are transferring for better opportunities more so instead of Graham’s actions. UH can’t even feed their players three square meals a day while their serving prime rib at the University of Miami. Halawa Penitentiary feeds inmates three meals a day just for comparison.

For Lee and his testimony, I take it with caution. Maybe its because I was around coaches that used similar language to Graham and never got offended by it. Maybe its because Graham never spoke to me in such a manor. However I do find it irritating that only former players who have issue with Graham were allowed to speak. It did seem poised to painting an image instead of an actual inquiry. However Lee’s words speak true for various players and that is something to watch. As far as the transfers, UH lost eight in the pre transfer portal era during the last year of the Rolovich era. Also Rolovich lost the most players to the portal in the PAC-12 after his first year at WSU. 19 Hawaii players have entered the portal, the average per team in 11. Eight more is not bad considering UH can’t feed them.

Winning solves everything. If Graham doesn’t abuse his players which I don’t see concrete and substantiated evidence to say he does, he should continue. If he loses, then he’s got to go but just like Kolby Wyatt said, though the coach and the AD are not blameless, they are not the only ones to blame. Until the state can get its act in order, UH athletics will continue to suffer. Oh and if you think the state will get its act in order, this is the same state that didn’t have enough money for public schools so they gave kids Friday off. Also I am a collegiate graduate, the Honolulu Rail project which is still years from being finished started when I was 12. Good luck Hawaii, Graham is the least of your problems.