The Timmy Chang Chronicles Pt.1: A new opportunity

There’s no such thing as a sure bet but there’s smart decisions that can be made with a gamble. Todd Graham didn’t work out, AD Matlin took a shot and I respect the effort. I had a lot of faith in Graham and it was supported when Hawaii beat Houston in the 2020 New Mexico Bowl. Graham helped Arizona State ascend to heights the program hasn’t seen since the nineties. I thought he could do the same in Hawaii. Local kids were leaving for better opportunities anyway and I liked how he managed Hawaii’s position in the transfer portal. I thought if he could blend mainland players with pacific talent, bring kids home who left, establish routes in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas and consistently win on the mainland, Hawaii could ascend to new heights. That was the issue, he couldn’t bring home local talent. He sent them away and in the aftermath of the Graham tenure sat uncertainty.

In my interview with Hawaii WR Dior Scott, one of the things he brought up was the lack of money the athletic program has. A problem not new to the program, during his time in Hawaii the late Colt Brennan made claims that the department didn’t have bathing soap. ESPN announcers shouted to the world that the state of the football facilities was quote “in an embarrassing state of disrepair.” Scott said the players only got fed in season, the food was not to the health quality needed for a D1 athlete and that he along with his teammates had to come out of pocket for some of their nutritional needs. He also stated that due to the high cost of living, the players stipend checks don’t necessarily cover all of their necessary expenses. These claims were supported by Kolby Wyatt’s written testimony to the Hawaii State Senate.

Thus whoever became the new coach must be able to recruit and work with these conditions along with a makeshift stadium and some of the most stringent COVID protocols in the nation. A name came out of the shadows of fogginess. June Jones, the winningest coach in Hawaii history applied for the job. He’s a phenomenal coach and recruiter, shown with the multiple NFL draft picks from his nine years in Manoa along with his work with Warren Moon and Chris Miller in the NFL. It seemed like a slam dunk, especially when UH legend and former assistant coach Rich Miano removed himself from consideration to back Jones. Jones met with AD Matlin and Matlin offered a “no-contract” contract. Basically terms so unreasonable that Jones would never accept. You can read more about the details in my article Hawaii and Todd Graham Pt. 4: The Aftermath

With Jones out, Matlin got his guy. Timmy Chang. St. Louis high school graduate, NCAA passing yards leader, local legend. Chang was hired as the next head coach of Hawaii. I like Chang. He has a great coaching foundation, learning under Jay Norvell, Matt Mumme and Jones himself. Chang also has a good rapport with mainland and local coaches in terms of recruiting and he’ll run a pass happy offense that is similar to the Run N’ Shoot. My concerns come from will Chang be able to pick and choose his own staff or be forced to use Graham’s old staff. Matlin wouldn’t allow Jones to pick his own staff, a point of contention in his contract negotiations. Also Chang has never been a play caller or coordinator at the FBS level. How will he adjust? Only time will tell but he’s got my support and I hope for the best.

Let’s get back to AD Matlin. He took a shot with Graham and missed. It happens. He took a shot with Rolovich and it was a success. In a twitter space led by Wayne Coito, someone said Matlin is afraid of hiring Jones because what if he fails? Matlin would take the blame. I disagree, I think Matlin is afraid of hiring Jones because what if succeeds? He’ll get none of the credit. Everyone wants Jones, he was the “sure bet” or as sure as you can be. That’s the problem. Matlin doesn’t get paid to make the easy choice, he gets paid to make the tough ones. Yes there was interest in Rolovich becoming a collegiate head coach. However Matlin was the one to pull the trigger and he justified it with a 10-5 season, a Mountain West division title, 2 Hawaii Bowl wins and Rolovich’s promotion to Washington State. No one was looking at Chang to be a HC. Barely anyone was looking at him to be a coordinator. If Chang it a great success, Matlin looks good but more importantly its a bargaining chip in his next round of contract negotiations. His reason to continue to be AD.

If Matlin met with Jones and then met with Chang and after much though and conversation, Matlin went with Chang, I could respect the decision. I wouldn’t agree with it but he made a decision for which he felt was right and he respected both men. Dan Meisenzahl, the spokesperson for UH chastised Jones in a press conference for lobbying through the media and disrespecting UH and the hiring process. That’s total BS and an attempt to cover their behind. Matlin may have hired Chang to protect his job but the way he went about it was wrong and possibly illegal. Matlin sighted a lack of a secession plan for a breakdown in contract talks. The only reason you bring up secession is if a coach isn’t gonna be there anymore due to age or retirement. Texas had a secession plan for Mack Brown with Will Muschamp, Florida State had one for Bobby Bowden with Jimbo Fisher and Oklahoma had one for Bob Stoops with Lincoln Riley. Matlin committed age discrimination. That’s something I hope the Hawaii State Senate looks into and via social media, it looks like some members already have.

Now we come to present day. Chang has a lot of work to do and a lot of things to fix. I think he should be able to get Hawaii to a bowl game but I’m expecting around 5-6 wins at best. I hope I’m wrong. For the program, Hawaii has two priorities. Raise money and compete at a high level. If I was in charge, here’s what I would do.

1. Contact Khoury Bethley and try to get him to return to Hawaii. The linebacker is Hawaii’s best defender. Set to return in 2022, Bethley announced his intention to hit the transfer portal upon the resignation of Todd Graham. As of this article, Bethley has yet to commit to another university. He is too valuable to lose. A leader in the locker room, a turnover machine and a potential NFL prospect, the ball finds Bethley more times than not. Critical in Hawaii’s victories over Zach Wilson and BYU in the 2019 Hawaii Bowl and UH’s upset over nationally ranked Fresno State, this is top priority.

2. The establishment of a new recruiting position titled Director of Polynesian Recruiting. Either as an independent role or an added title (pay raise) to a coach or administrator, this position will focus on extracting talent from the likes of Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Australia and New Zealand. There’s a ton of talent in the pacific with somewhat of a football foundation within the cultures of the pacific via the prolific popularity of rugby. The question with Hawaii recruiting is not where is the best talent because Hawaii will always lose that battle with P5 programs but instead asking the question “Where is no one looking?” Geographically, Hawaii is in a prime spot to raid the pacific and with already established connections with coaches in these nations, it should be a gold mine. Hawaii from an academic and life standpoint needs to have resources available for these kids as English may not necessarily be their first language nor is the American school system set up in a similar way to the school systems in these places. We as a program need to have the proper resources so they succeed in school, remain academically eligible, do not fall victim to loneliness and homesickness and set them up for success in a post football world. Hawaii will be better of because of it.

3. Raid the transfer portal. We see with young high school recruits getting mesmerized by the glitz and glamour of D1 football programs. As they should and if a program offers better facilities, they should take advantage. Transfer portal players have been through that process, all they want is an opportunity and Hawaii can offer them one. An escape to where all they need to focus on is their academics and football. Take as much off their plate as possible.

4. Re-establish the connections to west coast JUCO programs. A lot of talented kids in JUCO are getting lost in the avalanche that is the transfer portal. There’s a lot of hard working talent lying in uncertainty because the collegiate recruiting scene has shifted to high school and the portal. I think over 1000 players are in the portal and thus, a pile of riches is available for the taking.

5. Get rid of the PPV program. It doesn’t make money for the university, people in the mainland are able to stream games for free and its useless. Hawaii should seriously look at it’s position in the Mountain West. Hawaii gets at best 6-7 games on national TV a year, dependent on if they make a bowl game. 3 of those are on CBS sports so not a main channel and the rest are out of conference games. Hawaii always gets a week 0 game on ESPN but that’s about it. The Mountain West broadcasting deal is a joke and Hawaii is in a unique position. They need to get into contact with NBC who has a specialized deal with Norte Dame. 7 times out of the year, Hawaii is the latest and only game playing in the country. No popular shows have that time slot. There’s a lot of interest in Hawaii football due to the high flying offense of years past and from a sports betting perspective, it’s the last way to win money. Hawaii could get a deal with a major American network and possibly with Sky Sports for international viewership. More importantly, the ad revenue money would help the university out tremendously and the program will garner consistent attention. Hawaii fans and locals would be able to watch the games for free and players know that their families, regardless of where they are would have specialized access to watch their kids.

6. Quite frankly, Hawaii is outgrowing the Mountain West from a financial standpoint. In fact I see the Mountain West as a financial barrier to profit. In 3-5 years, the Pac-12 will try and expand to the Pac-16. The SEC expanded with Texas and Oklahoma. The Big 12 has added Cincinnati, Houston, BYU and UCF as well. UNLV and SDSU have put themselves in prime position with their new stadiums and facilities. Hawaii needs to get on board with a move to the P5. Hawaii has shown that they can compete with the P5, despite being a G5 school with horrendous facilities. Hawaii also has the pacific and again the late game timeslot. It would align with the Pac-12’s After Dark football campaign. The Pac-12 has a relationship with the Hawaii Bowl and that contract should be transferable. From a traveling standpoint, it’s much easier to travel in the Pac-12 then in the Mountain West. Yes Hawaii could have to travel to Utah and Colorado but they do that already in the Mountain West with Utah State and Colorado State. The Pac-12 has 4 California universities, 2 Oregon universities, 2 Arizona universities and 2 Washington universities. Travel times could average around 6 hours and Hawaii would no longer need to fly to Idaho, Wyoming or New Mexico. Plus majority of Pac-12 programs are near major airports for an ease in travel along with better accessibility for Hawaii fans on the mainland. Hawaii needs to begin negotiations now before others take their place.

7. The last thing is Hawaii needs to prioritize their preferred walk on program for Hawaii natives. There’s a lot of talent in the islands but more importantly, these players would be able to continue living at home, thus not having to take on the financial burden of moving to the islands. Also it would reestablish Hawaii’s connection into our communities and schools, making the sentimental value of playing for your island and in front of your family important again. Another way for local kids to earn a scholarship and create more relationships/ opportunities for themselves.

One last thing. Go Bows!