“Pride Rock” has lost its leader.
Nick Rolovich, 40, has informed University of Hawaii officials he will resign as the school’s head football coach to accept the head coaching job at Washington State.
“Nick called me tonight to inform me that he accepted the Washington State job,” UH athletic director David Matlin tweeted on Monday night. “Our football team is in a better place because of Nick, and we wish him all the best. Our search for our next head coach begins immediately.”
The athletic department was scheduled to post the opening on its web site on Monday night. It is believed formal interviews can be arranged after five business days. There is widespread belief the top candidates would be Brian Smith, UH’s offensive coordinator and associate head coach; Craig Stutzmann, quarterbacks coach and pass-game coordinator; Mark Banker, assistant head coach and linebackers coach, and Mike Cavanaugh, Syracuse’s offensive line coach.
Rolovich, a record-setting UH quarterback and innovative offensive coordinator, returned to his alma mater in 2016 after four years coaching at Nevada. Rolovich connected with other alumni to restore football success back to what he termed “Pride Rock,” a play on the “The Lion King” theme. He also coined the phrase, “Live aloha, play Warrior,” which is adorned on two UH practice gyms and the walkway to Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.
In four years, the Rainbow Warriors qualified for the Hawaii Bowl in 2016, 2018 and 2019.
The Warriors also represented the West Division in the 2019 Mountain West championship game in Boise, Idaho.
After two years of running a hybrid attack to accommodate personnel he inherited from predecessor Norm Chow, Rolovich brought back the prolific run-and-shoot offense. And similar to when he was the offensive coordinator, Rolovich took over play-calling duties.
Rolovich, in partnership with Smith and Stutzmann, helped develop Cole McDonald from a run-oriented quarterback to master of the four-wide offense. Last week, McDonald announced he would relinquish his senior season and apply for the 2020 NFL Draft.
Rolovich leaves behind an offense that returns four starting offensive linemen. Michael Eletise finished the season at left guard in place of J.R. Hensley, the lone senior starter, who suffered a season-ending injury. Chevan Cordeiro, who started three games, returns as the now No. 1 quarterback.
After the longest season in the program’s history — 15 games — Rolovich drew inquiries from Mississippi and Colorado State.
It appeared there would be no movement at Washington State. In December, Mike Leach signed a contract extension through 2024 worth $4 million annually. But last week, Leach resigned at WSU to become Mississippi State’s head coach. Leach’s Air Raid attack had similarities to Rolovich’s version of the run-and-shoot offense.
This past Saturday, Rolovich acknowledged WSU officials showed interest, although no interview had been conducted at that point.
Rolovich was scheduled to attend the American Football Coaches Convention in Nashville on Monday. Instead, he met with WSU officials, although the meeting’s location was not disclosed. Rolovich did not return messages left on his cell phone.
Rolovich earned about $600,000 this past season on a contract extension he signed earlier in 2019. Reports listed his WSU deal at $3 million annually.
Rolovich also will coach Saint Louis School quarterback Jayden de Laura, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s 2019 Offensive Player of the Year. De Laura signed with Washington State in December.
