Cole McDonald is the common thread in the fabric that is the University of Hawaii football team’s offense.

As the truck-pool driver or housemate, McDonald has a connection with each of the Rainbow Warriors’ offensive starters that goes beyond his role as starting quarterback.

“Without question, Cole will be there for you if you need him, no matter what,” slotback John Ursua said. “He’s a very genuine guy. He’s there for everybody on this team, no matter offense or defense.”

McDonald is UH’s Kevin Bacon with fewer degrees of separation. When slotback Cedric Byrd arrived in town in December, it was McDonald waiting at the baggage area.

“He picked me up from the airport when I first got here,” Byrd recalled.

It was the first time they met.

McDonald invited Byrd to join in player-run practices. “We just started working from there,” Byrd said. In spring training, they repeatedly teamed on several big plays in scrimmage-like sessions. They now are housemates.

The household grew for a few weeks this summer with the addition of wideout JoJo Ward, a transfer from Tyler Junior College in Texas.

“I got to bond with him,” McDonald said. “Sometimes it’s hard to get that chemistry with your receivers. Jo and I clicked from the get-go.”

In the second half of last season, Ursua was recovering from knee surgery and McDonald was the backup to starting quarterback Dru Brown. They spent time discussing schemes and coverages while taking mental reps.

“This past season, we became really close,” said McDonald, noting they have neighboring lockers. “We’re always next to each other. We’re always talking … and hanging out. His whole family is just great people.”

Because of obligations with his lease, left wideout Marcus Armstrong-Brown had to decline an invitation to move into the house with McDonald and Byrd this semester. He is set to join them in January.

“Next semester, when I’m going to have a little more down time, I wanted to live with people I’m comfortable with,” Armstrong-Brown said. “That was the first choice. There’s no one I’d rather live with than those two guys.”

McDonald and running back Fred Holly III were both members of coach Nick Rolovich’s first recruiting class, signing letters of intent on Feb. 3, 2016. McDonald and Holly have trained with former UH quarterback Bryant Moniz at various facilities on Oahu.

“We did cardio and boxing classes to work on footwork, hand-eye (coordination) and just speed,” McDonald said. “We got extra work.”

McDonald, guard J.R. Hensley and center Taaga Tuulima were on the scout offense during practices in 2016. “When he wasn’t playing, we’d talk,” McDonald said of Hensley.

Hensley said: “Me and McDonald hang out outside of football quite a bit. … We’ll watch movies and stuff. He always tries to hang out with the boys. It’s more than just football. It’s a bond.”

Much of the quality time is playing Fortnite or going to the beach in McDonald’s full-size pickup truck, which seats five in the cabin and as many as can fit in the back.

“I’ve been in that truck,” Armstrong-Brown said. “We’ve pushed it to its limits.”

Hensley said: “The starting O-line and Cole have been in that vehicle. That was packed. That was a couple thousand pounds of weight. It was crazy.”