On the University of Hawaii football practice field, head coach Nick Rolovich was a tough mudder.
Rolovich was slinging in the sporadic rain, firing passes to receivers on a variety of routes during Tuesday’s first practice of the Rainbow Warriors’ spring training.
“He’s got a cannon for an arm,” quarterback Aaron Zwahlen said. “He was a little rusty, but I think he can dust it off and throw it pretty far.”
Craig Stutzmann, who oversees UH’s passing game, praised Rolovich, noting, “He’s still got an arm. But he tried not to show up the young bucks.”
Most significant, Stutzmann observed, was seeing Rolovich “being at home. He was having fun.”
Rolovich, a standout quarterback at UH 15 years earlier, provided another arm during passing drills. The Warriors have three quarterbacks — Ikaika Woolsey, Beau Reilly and Zwahlen — on the spring roster. A walk-on quarterback is expected to be added today.
Rolovich said his show-and-tell approach enabled him to “go through the progressions with them. It’s not necessarily what kind of throw it is all the time. It’s, ‘What are you doing with your body language? What are you doing with your eyes? What’s your drop? What’s your plan pre-snap?’ All those things you can talk them through and show them.”
Then Rolovich conceded: “I don’t plan on (throwing) every day.”
The Warriors are implementing a hybrid offense blending run-and-shoot and read-option concepts. Rolovich, Stutzmann and assistant coach Brian Smith were UH teammates in 2000 and 2001. Each has been an offensive coordinator.
Woolsey, who will be a sixth-year senior in the fall, was the first quarterback in each drill. Rolovich said no permanent order has been established.
“Unless somebody blows us out of the water and the other two stink, we’ll wait (to set a depth chart),” Rolovich said.
Rolovich was UH’s offensive coordinator when he recruited Woolsey in 2011. Woolsey grayshirted that fall, and when he joined UH in January 2012, a new coaching staff was hired. Woolsey, who redshirted in 2012, has had four offensive coordinators in the past four UH seasons.
“It’s not the easiest to learn one offense and then come in the next year and learn another one,” Woolsey said. “I can’t dwell on that. What’s done is done. I’m focusing on what I can do now.”
Stutzmann said Woolsey made “smart choices” in passing and team drills. “Our main job is taking care of the football, and he did a good job of not forcing passes,” Stutzmann said.
Rolovich said the three quarterbacks all had “good juice. They know there’s an opportunity.”
“It was a good first practice,” Zwahlen said. “Everyone is excited about the new coaching staff, and the new offense and defense. Everyone is pretty optimistic.”
Zwahlen’s family has had a long friendship with Norm Chow, who was Rolovich’s predecessor as UH head coach. Zwahlen, who redshirted last season after serving a two-year church mission, said he’s here for the long run.
“I committed to the University of Hawaii, and I’m going to stay here as long as they want me,” Zwahlen said. “I came here to support this team and this state, and I’ll do everything I can.”
Zwahlen said the mission and redshirt year equated roughly to not playing “football as long as I’ve played football in my life. I’m excited to go out there and throw it around and help this team win games.”
Slotback John Ursua, who made several big plays in passing drills, had an ever longer delay than Zwahlen. Ursua worked for a year as a landscaper before going on a church mission to Paris. He also redshirted last year.
“It’s four years since I played a down of football,” Ursua said.
During his mission, he was allowed to work out 30 minutes each morning. “If you say football (in Paris), they think soccer,” Ursua said, smiling. “I didn’t see a whole lot of footballs out there.”
Dejon Allen, who started 13 games at right guard in 2015, practiced at left tackle on Tuesday. Allen said he likes the one-on-one battles against pass-rushers but is adjusting to being in a two-point stance.
