Rolovich hires Naeole and Elimimian

Two assistants have been retained on the University of Hawaii football coaching staff.

Chris Naeole and Abraham Elimimian are new head coach Nick Rolovich’s first hires.

Naeole, who was hired as offensive line coach in 2013 following a 12-year NFL career, served as the Rainbow Warriors’ interim head coach after Norm Chow was fired on Nov. 1.

Elimimian, a former UH cornerback, joined the Warriors as the defensive backs coach in March. Elimimian was named defensive coordinator for last Saturday’s regular-season finale after Tom Mason was reassigned to a non-coaching position.

“I’m excited to have Chris and Abe on the team,” Rolovich said in a news release. “On film, I’ve seen Chris develop the offensive line these past few years, and I’ve seen improvement. Abe, I know, has passion for this university and this football program, and his work ethic is all things we want in our staff as we move forward.”

Rolovich and Elimimian were part of the Warriors’ 2000 recruiting class. Rolovich had joined after two years at City College of San Francisco. Elimimian joined as a freshman from Crenshaw High in Los Angeles.

Because Naeole and Elimimian are signed through March 1, they already can begin recruiting. There was a moratorium on recruiting between Chow’s firing and Rolovich’s hiring Friday.

Brian Smith, a former UH center and assistant coach, is a contender for one of the jobs on the coaching staff. Rolovich and Smith were UH teammates for two years and co-workers on Greg McMackin’s staff for four seasons.