Hawaii and Todd Graham pt. 4: The fallout
Today was suppose to be a great day for Hawaii football. The greatest coach in UH history was due to return to Manoa. June Jones, a name synonymous with winning was expected to become the next Head Coach for the Rainbow Warriors. Side note, please return Hawaii back to just the warriors. The Hawaii Warriors rolls of the tongue better and besides, they’ll always be the bows. Everything was set. AD Matlin offered him a deal and Jones (already in town for the Polynesian Bowl) was due to sign. This deal was so close, media outlets were reporting on it. National media outlets. How often are they wrong about coaches contracts? They of course speculate but when they use the term “close,” it’s pretty much a done deal. Just like they did with Lincoln Riley to USC, with Brian Kelly to LSU and with Mario Cristobol to Miami, it was Jones to Hawaii.
However reports came out after stating Jones turned down the contract and I was livid. How could he? I don’t understand. Jones publicly expressed not just interest but a desire to return to Hawaii. Jones already knew the contract situation and how Hawaii has one of the lowest coaching payrolls in the Mountain West. Graham was making $800,000 dollars, surely Jones couldn’t have expected more than that? Rich Miano removed himself from consideration for June to take the job. Jones is the best qualified candidate. No disrespect to Brian Smith and Timmy Chang but Jones is a better coach, recruiter and play caller as shown by the fact he’s the winningest coach in UH history along with the multitude of players he sent to the NFL, capped off by first round selection Ashley Lelie.
Time reveals all and if you don’t like strong language, I suggest you skip over this paragraph. David Matlin offered June Jones a chicken shit offer. A total load of crap that was deployed as a media stunt to quiet the screams of the Hawaii faithful. A two year contract with Jones not having the ability to hire or fire his assistants. Quick reminder that only Todd Graham resigned and his entire staff is still under contract. Here’s the issue, Matlin and UH either don’t have the money or plain out refuse to pay the buyout clauses of the coaches nor are willing to spend the money to hire their replacements. Keep in mind, established coaches who worked under Jones have expressed interest in returning to UH. Coaches like Jeff Reinebold, Rich Miano and others. Also Jones refused to have a succession plan for when he leaves but I think Matlin wants Timmy Chang as Jones wants to do right by Miano who was screwed out of the job in 2012 and make Miano next in line.
What does all this mean? Simple, its about power. No not the line from the Rock in Tech Nine’s song but about control. See Matlin didn’t hire Jones in 1999, he wasn’t AD. He wasn’t responsible for the success of the early 2000s. Matlin was hired in 2015 and within his first 12 months, he fired Norm Chow. The program was in ruins and Matlin made the decision to hire Nick Rolovich over June Jones in 2016. Now this was a different time. Jones though still beloved in Hawaii was coming off a really bad couple of years at SMU. Also the public outcry for Jones wasn’t as strong as it is now. Rolovich was Matlin’s guy. He gave Rolo his first coaching job, he took the gamble and it paid off. 3 bowl appearances in 4 years, 2 bowl wins, multiple P5 wins and a double digit win season. Cole McDonald became the first Warrior QB selected in the NFL draft since Colt Brennan, Jahlani Tavai was a second round pick and John Ursua ended up on the Seahawks. UDFA’s Treyvon Henderson, Jojo Ward and Leo Koloamatangi made preseason NFL rosters. A massive success because of Matlin’s vision. Also both the men’s and women’s basketball teams made it to the NCAA tournament under his watch along with a pretty successful transition of the women’s volleyball program from retiring long time coach Dave Shoji. The men’s volleyball team would capture the NCAA championship in 2021.
Rolovich would leave UH for Washington State and with him went several assistant coaches. No buyouts necessary, in fact I think Washington State paid UH money for Rolovich. Now he had another decision to make. Jones was in the XFL so he was off the table and Matlin chose Todd Graham. I’m not gonna go over that saga again but we all know it ended with public scrutiny focused on the program along with the resignation of Todd Graham. I know that pissed Matlin off. Graham was Matlin’s guy, the next great coach under his tenure and all Graham needed to do was make it to his third year. That’s the golden year for college coaches. The third year. Multiple classes of your own recruits, years to develop talent, the team would be your own. Bob Wagner’s first bowl birth came in his third year. Jones’ third year saw the Warriors knock off nationally ranked Fresno State and BYU. Also lets be real, the WAC in 1999 wasn’t the same powerhouse it was in 2001. Rolovich’s first winning season came in his third year, heck even Norm Chow’s best season was in his third year. Todd Graham’s best season at Arizona State was in his third year and even the legend Dick Tomey can attest. His best season in Hawaii came in his fifth year but it was Hawaii’s third season in the WAC as they were an independent before hand. Also Tomey won his first bowl game at Arizona in his third season with the Wildcats.
I think Matlin was banking on Graham’s third season to change public opinion on him. I mean Graham secured two bowl births in two years. Won a bowl game on the mainland and beat every Hawaii rival except Boise State and Air Force (Hawaii never played Air Force during the Graham tenure). However that doesn’t matter because Graham is gone. Jones is not Matlin’s guy, he’s a previous AD’s pick and that’s something he can’t accept. He won’t have Jones change and challenge all the work he’s done with the program. Thus he gave such unacceptable terms. He wanted to make Jones look bad and it worked for a couple hours until Jones spoke his truth. He flipped the narrative. No coach in history to my knowledge, especially not in the 21st century has ever signed an initial contract for less than 3 years. Like I said, coaches need three years to perform a full turnaround. Matlin wants credit and it won’t happen with Jones. Jones is the established name. Hypothetically if Bill Belichick left New England and the GM for the Texans hired him. Then Bill wins a title with the Texans, would the GM receive any credit? No because there’s no risk. Jones is the sure bet and egos get in the way of vision.
Jones in his many years as a coach has only one real mess up and that was hiring Art Briles while coaching the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. That’s it and Briles didn’t even make it up to Canada before Hamilton reversed its decision. It’s purely about power. The question becomes how do we change this? Jones has publicly expressed he still wants to job, it is our responsibility as a public to force Matlin’s hand. Emails, phone calls, social media posts, threaten to boycott UH football games, whatever it takes. At the end of the day, it would hurt my heart not to be able to watch the team but after witnessing the love and passion the players of UH have for each other and for this place, it is incomprehensible to let them down and not give them a coach who will put the in the best position to succeed at this level and the next.
To AD Matlin, you have a choice. Hire Jones and all will be forgiven. Do not let your ego be the death of your administrative career.
