And then there were four.
The University of Hawaii football team whittled its quarterback rotation to senior Ikaika Woolsey, second-year freshman Aaron Zwahlen, and sophomore transfers Dru Brown and Cole Brownholtz. Head coach Nick Rolovich is expected to name a starting quarterback following Saturday’s scrimmage at Aloha Stadium.
True freshman Cole McDonald, who will get some work in team drills, is a candidate to redshirt this season — a move that would create class spacing among the quarterbacks.
“I think Cole McDonald will benefit from sitting back and watching at this point,” Rolovich said. “I don’t want him to stop competing. I want him to get used to college.”
Rolovich also said third-year sophomore Beau Reilly will remain with the rotation quarterbacks during drills and not be assigned to the scout team.
“I think Beau right now really understands (the offense) really well, but it’s about getting things done on the field and production,” Rolovich said. “He’s in a tough spot. I have no doubt he’ll handle it in the right way, and we’ll move forward as a team. He’ll try to make us better.”
The UH coaches likened Reilly to Shawn Withy-Allen, a former UH quarterback who ascended from No. 5 to leading a comeback victory over UTEP. Withy-Allen now serves as the Rainbow Warriors’ character coach.
“Beau’s that type of guy,” said Craig Stutzmann, quarterbacks coach and pass-game coordinator. “He’s going to stay plugged in. He cares about football and he cares about this team.”
Kyle Gallup, who transferred from Marshall, will redshirt this year. Hunter Hughes, who was on the spring roster, rejoins the Warriors on Aug. 22, the first day of UH’s fall semester.
Rolovich said the number of quarterbacks is “a great problem. It’s really good for our future because you’ve got a lot of young guys getting quality reps. … I like our quarterback situation for years to come.”
Woolsey, who has had seven offensive coordinators since joining UH in January 2012, said this hybrid offense — which
pools run-and-shoot, read-option and run-pass-option concepts — is suited for his skills.
“I feel this is the most comfortable I’ve been than with the six offenses in the past,” Woolsey said. “It kind of works into how I play.”
Stutzmann said Woolsey is benefiting from a fresh slate following the Warriors’ struggles the previous four years.
“Ikaika has been great,” Stutzmann said. “He’s taken a lot of criticism in the past, but it’s not affecting him. If anything, it’s fuel for him to do better, and that’s a good thing. He’s taken something negative into a positive.”
Rolovich said football is “very important to (Woolsey). The little things are important to him. You see him doing the little things on the field that most people might not see. That’s making us a better football team.”
Rolovich said Zwahlen has “really developed” from spring training to training camp. Zwahlen redshirted last season after returning from a two-year church mission. “He’s not making the same mistakes he did in the spring,” Rolovich said. “That’s growth. He’s really taken care of the ball in camp.”
Rolovich described Brown as a “football junkie. … All he wants to do is go to school and play football. That’s what he came here for.”
Rolovich is not concerned that Brownholtz sometimes will fling a pass with a side-arm motion. Rolovich said accuracy and quick release are more important.
“He pressed a little bit in the first week,” Rolovich said of Brownholtz. “I wanted to give him a chance to settle down and get with the offense. He has an innate ability to make plays outside of the pocket.”
