Honolulu — The University of Hawaii football team held more than 15 practices through February and remained sharply focused in August.
After ending 2023 with three wins in their last four games, the Rainbow Warriors Jump began preparations for the 2024 season with a series of morning practices at the Clarence TC Chin Complex. As the Warriors refined their scheme, they integrated four new coaches into the staff led by third-year head coach Timmy Chung and welcomed several newcomers to the program in the spring semester.
The Warriors finished their on-field work for their spring game on February 25th, and HawaiiAthletics.com's Jason Kaneshiro sat down with Chan to get his thoughts on the spring.
Now that spring practice is coming to an end, what were your main goals for the spring and do you feel like you accomplished them?
Chan: “It's a really quick turnaround for us, probably the quickest turnaround in NCAA FBS going into the spring. Our main objective is to get our players back up from last season and then develop more players. , adding depth and just developing the players that we can get.''We feel really good, both healing the players, practicing and getting out there and playing games. ”
Last year, we started spring practice early out of necessity. What benefits have you gained from it for this spring?
Chan: “Schedule-wise, moving it forward meant we were doing a lot more lifting in and running on the back end.…They come in at 17, 18 years old and get their bodies ready to go out. “So we play every Saturday, and it takes a long time. That's why we liked moving the schedule forward last year. The way we start school early and the way we run the system, we I prefer to focus on football early and be able to work on all that work on the back end. ”
Does the faster on-field time give players more time to work on themselves?
Chan: “Once you go through it, both the modification side and the film side, it all makes sense. We have two freshman quarterbacks (John Keawi Sagaportele and Micah Alejado). One of the players who redshirted last year went on the road towards the end of the season. The other player just participated in the (high school) national championship in December. So he comes in early and right after three weeks of training, he's immersed in spring ball and our playbook and getting reps. It is very important for him to learn and see it. Like other athletes, they can also project themselves on film. … Growth, that’s the biggest key.”
There are some new coaches, but there are some familiar faces here as well. How were they integrated into the program in the spring?
“We have a new defensive coordinator (Dennis Thurman). He's been around for a long time and has a lot of experience, but he's really integrated into our culture and has a great personality. Dennis has done a great job as a teacher and a leader, getting the guys and our kids to respond.
“And these two guys, Dan Morrison and Jeff Reinbold, are familiar with this place, have lived here and coached here, know the community, know the culture, and are very knowledgeable about what we receive. We know the type of kids we have, we know how to coach them, and they're back on the team and the coaches are coaching them as well, so it's good to be able to do that.
“(Former college offensive lineman) Derek Furbey is another player coming back to his hometown to coach at his alma mater. It's exciting for him and for us, and we're looking forward to building a relationship with him.”
(UH quarterback) Brayden Shager He returned to Texas and worked with Coach Morrison, but did little work in the fall. How big of an advantage is it for him to return to the team full-time?
Chan: “Dan is a blessing to us, not just to Brayden, but to the entire quarterback room. He brings kind of an 'it' element to coaching. He knows how to talk to people, how to communicate. More importantly, he is. ”
Run and Shoot is now in its second year, but is it going on day and night compared to this time last year?
Chan: “Last year we talked about plays, went out to games, tried to execute them…and then we went through 13 games together and spent the spring and summer together, and all of that added up to who we are today. “The players are looking really good. They are performing at a high level and will continue to get better.
“As our fans and the people of Hawai'i and our alumni know, the more they feel comfortable watching, the better the product will be and the easier it will be to recruit. It’s about moving the ball up and down inside, having fun putting points on the boards, and playing for the offense to go out there and win games.”
Dennis Thurman introduced a new defense system. How are the players responding to the changes?
Chan: “Dennis has a great system, proven with NFL teams and NFL coaches. He has an aggressive defensive style that puts pressure on the offense and the quarterback and tries to cause havoc. “The players are flying around, they're excited. “That's playing to our strengths and that's what we wanted. We're going after guys and creating turnovers. , we wanted a defense that would not only win the ball back, but inspire the fans watching us play and the state of Hawaii.'' That's something they can be proud of. ”
Now that the on-field part is done, how important is the next step, strength building and conditioning?
Chan: “We want to make our players bigger, stronger and faster, so that's really what it's all about and that's what we're going to focus on. We're going to put our resources into that and our human resources. Our children will do that.'' You will see their bodies grow bigger and stronger than ever before. … We give them a maintenance schedule and come back at the end of May to continue training. Camp ends and Week 0 begins. Their plans are already set, it's just a matter of keeping them consistent and active throughout the year.
“We know (August) will be here early. … We're going to drive the message home, stay consistent, stay united and work harder than ever.”
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Chan's breakdown by position
quarterback
“The quarterback room is pretty unique. I've never been in a group of quarterbacks where all four of them can throw the ball at the level they're playing at now.”
Receiving machine
“We have a starting lineup, two of them are 1,000-yard (receivers) and the other two are special players who were born and raised in Hawaii and can get the job done. That's what this place is like. is”
running back
“The last period of the season, we played with our offensive linemen, we played with two walk-ons in Dave (Cordeiro) and Landon (Sims), and they did great. We got (Hines) back and added one of our best offensive players as well, Tylan. cam barfield and Christian Vaughn Adding to the mix, the running back room is really deep. ”
offensive line and defensive line
“The offensive line is coming along well. I'm excited about their progress. The defensive line, we're missing some guys on the edge (during the spring). I'm excited to see what Coach Reinbold's tackles can do with them. put a lot of pressure on our quarterbacks during the spring, so I'm really excited for them.”
linebacker
“Linebacker room, they're losing key players. logan taylorBut it was nice to meet Jammy (Otis). jalen smith Back there together. That was something special. ”
secondary
“I thought the corners were one of our strengths last year, but they're all back. Verdell (Edwards) is coming back from injury. (Safety).” peter manuma, a special player, he is expected to return from injury. We were missing five or six starting pitchers on defense this spring, which was a bonus for us because other players got reps and had more time to develop in the process. You can heal your friends. I'll bring you back soon. They'll be training, training and preparing for next season, but we've also been able to bond with them.
“I’m really excited about the safety position. Elijah Palmer, we're looking forward to getting healthy and seeing what he does in year two. ”
special teams
“We've got a battle at kicker right now, we've got a battle at punter right now, so we're going to work on getting those jobs through the offseason.”
