UH special teams coach to join NFL’s Falcons

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STAR-ADVERTISER / 2016

Special teams coordinator and tight end coach Mayur Chaudhari takes part in a University of Hawaii football team practice at the University of Hawaii at Manoa in April 2016. Chaudhari, who was part of the Warrior football program the past two seasons, will be joining the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.

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Mayur Chaudhari, who was Hawaii’s special teams coordinator the past two football seasons, will be joining the Atlanta Falcons, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser first reported Tuesday online.

Chaudhari, 39, is expected to assist with the Falcons’ special teams. He had an internship with the Falcons in 2016, and has known Atlanta coach Dan Quinn for several years.

The Rainbow Warriors, who will advertise for an assistant coach, have these options: 1) Hire a new special teams coach, 2) Add duties to a current coach, or 3) Run special teams by committee.

Chaudhari was instrumental in the development of kicker/punter Rigo Sanchez, who played for the Indianapolis Colts the past season. In two seasons, the Rainbow Warriors blocked nine kicks. Chaudhari declined to comment for publication at this time.

Chaudhari has 17 seasons of college coaching experience. His father-in-law is former UH head coach Dick Tomey.

After stints at Virginia Military Institute, Army and Lenoir-Rhyne, Chaudhari was hired at UH to replace special teams coordinator Jake Cookus in February 2016. Cookus accepted a job at Oregon State to be closer to his family. Cookus is now the Beavers’ special teams coach.

Chaudhari is the fifth UH coach to depart since the middle of the 2017 season. Offensive line coach Chris Naeole resigned on Oct. 7. In December, receivers coach Kefense Hynson and defensive coordinator Legi Suiaunoa accepted assistant coaching jobs at Oregon State. Linebackers coach Sean Duggan, whose one-year contract was not renewed, was hired as an assistant coach at UMass.

All of the departures the past two years, except Naeole and Duggan, found jobs at better-funded programs. Forty-eight days after signing with UH, offensive coordinator Zak Hill resigned in January 2016 to accept a job at Boise State. In February 2017, Kevin Lempa resigned as defensive coordinator to become an analyst at Michigan.

In the meantime, the Warriors are in discussions to open the 2018 season in August, most likely on the road.

The Warriors are scheduled to open against Navy on Sept. 1 at Aloha Stadium. But an NCAA exemption allows UH to play on so-called Week Zero — the Saturday prior to the Thursday before Labor Day. This year, Labor Day is on Sept. 3, meaning the Warriors would be eligible to play on Saturday, Aug. 25. If an agreement were reached to start earlier, it would create a bye week during the regular season. The Warriors currently are set to play 13 regular-season games in a row without a break.

Any schedule change would not involve the Sept. 15 game against Army in New York. Several travel packages already have been booked for that trip.