In the dizzying aftermath of Todd Graham’s resignation as the University of Hawaii’s head football coach:
>> Linebacker-safety and co-captain Khoury Bethley entered the NCAA transfer portal a day after he tweeted he was returning for his senior season;
>> Interim head coach Jacob Yoro was scrambling to appease the remaining Rainbows Warriors, set up the offseason training program, and reaffirm recruiting visits;
>> Several with UH ties emerged as candidates to succeed Graham.
UH is on the clock with three recruiting weekends remaining in advance of the Feb. 2 start to the next signing period for football prospects.
After Graham announced his resignation on Friday afternoon, UH posted the job opening on its website that evening. When the applications may be reviewed is up to interpretation. UH is going with the five-day-and-counting process, which means official interviews might be able to commence after the work day ends on Wednesday, while applications will continue to be accepted thereafter. If there is a hard business-day-only interpretation, with Monday being a holiday, applications might not be read until Friday evening.
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For recent head-coaching hires, athletic director David Matlin made the choice following consultation with a group of advisers. Matlin then forwarded his pick to UH president David Lassner.
June Jones, Brian Smith, Rich Miano, Craig Stutzmann and Corey Batoon are expected to be applicants.
Jones a “miracle worker”
Jones, a UH head coach for nine seasons, said he was not ready to comment on his aspirations. “But you can assume anything you want,” Jones said.
But Leigh Steinberg, Jones’ long-time agent, said the program’s winningest Division I head coach would be the preferred fit.
“There is no one who understands and embraces the culture of the islands better than June,” Steinberg said. “If you look at it from the standpoint of recruiting, he’s maintained relationships with all the local high schools, he still goes to (their) practices, he stays in touch with them. He has an excellent chance of keeping talent at home.”
Steinberg emphasized Jones’ coaching experience — he led programs in three professional leagues, revitalized UH and SMU, established a recruiting base in American Samoa, and coached quarterbacks Warren Moon, Jim Kelly, Timmy Chang, Nick Rolovich and Colt Brennan. “If you take every aspect of what a head coach does — recruit, deal with alums and the Board of Regents — June has the capacity to think outside the square,” Steinberg said. “He’s taken distressed programs and then won. He’s a miracle worker.”
Smith was at WSU
Brian Smith was UH’s center under Jones, and served two coaching stints at UH — once as associate head coach — before recently spending two seasons as Washington State’s offensive coordinator and associate coach. Smith is experienced in operating the run-and-shoot, run-pass option, and pro-style schemes. He recently was released as part of WSU’s purge following Rolovich’s dismissal for not complying with the state’s COVID-19 vaccination requirement. Smith is fully vaccinated.
Miano: strong UH ties
Miano is a Kaiser graduate who joined UH as a walk-on, developed into an All-WAC safety, played 11 NFL seasons, served nine seasons as a UH coach — including two weeks as interim head coach after Greg McMackin retired — and works as a color analyst for football telecasts. He also is a successful businessman.
Stutzmann grew up a fan
Stutzmann, who recently was hired as Utah Tech’s offensive coordinator, is a former UH receiver and quarterbacks coach. Stutzmann ran the spread-and-shred offense at Emory & Henry before joining Rolovich’s UH staff in 2016. Stutzmann spent two seasons as Washington State’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach before being fired after the religious exemption he received for not taking the vaccination was not accepted by athletic director Pat Chun.
UH requires its employees to receive the vaccination or a religious exemption. Stutzmann said he expects “reasonable conversations and come to a solution” during the interview process. “There are solutions to every problem,” Stutzmann said.
Stutzmann said he grew up in Varsity Circle, and UH’s “Lower Campus was my playground.” He said he used to watch football practices — “Miano, Jeff Sydner, John Veneri, Shawn Ching were my heroes” — and dreamed of coaching at UH.
Batoon: UH OC 2 seasons
Batoon, a Saint Louis School graduate, was UH’s defensive coordinator for two seasons, and was named interim head coach when Rolovich departed at the end of the 2019 season. As defensive coordinator, Batoon helped Liberty to an 11-1 record in 2020, and then was part of South Alabama’s surge from the 112th-ranked defense in 2020 to 35th this past season. He said he is interested in the UH job.
In the meantime, Yoro is working to retain players who entered the portal. Quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, running back Dae Dae Hunter and defensive end Jonah Laulu already have started at new schools and would have difficulty transferring back to UH. Cornerback Cameron Lockridge appeared to transfer to South Alabama. But because he still has not enrolled at South Alabama, he technically is still considered a Warrior.
Bethley in portal for now
Bethley also has left open the option of staying. On Friday, Bethley tweeted he was returning to UH for his senior season. But after Graham announced his resignation, Bethley deleted that tweet and notified reporters he would not be available for interviews on Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, Bethley announced he was entering the portal.
It was a dramatic six weeks leading to Graham’s resignation. After going 11-11 — the best two-year start for a UH head coach — Cordeiro, Hunter and Lockridge entered the transfer portal. Then in a Twitter Space forum, several players voiced their displeasure about the environment under Graham’s leadership. In a meeting the day before the Warriors were to play in the Hawaii Bowl, there were arguments about participation because of COVID-19 protocols, injuries and competitive disadvantages. There was a heated exchange between a lineman who wanted to play in the bowl and one who did not. An assistant coach had to separate the players. With less than 40 available players, the Warriors opted to withdraw from the Hawaii Bowl.
After that, Darius Muasau, Laulu and then wideout Nick Mardner entered the portal. Some members of the state Senate called an informational hearing on the program’s troubles. While the lawmakers had no personnel power, the session drew national attention.
Graham tired of drama
This was Graham’s fifth job as a Division I head coach. He had previous stops at Rice, Tulsa, Pittsburgh and Arizona State. But Mililani coach Rod York noted of Graham’s time at UH: “His heart was in the right place, but he just wasn’t the right fit.”
A person familiar with the situation said Graham was tired of drama and stress on his family, and decided to resign and walk away from the final three years of a five-year contract. He relinquished the $1.275 million buyout he would have received if he were dismissed without cause.
Matlin had met with the players after concerns were aired during the Twitter forum, and then separately with the coaches. Graham had proposed a council in which players selected by teammates could hear complaints and relay them to strength/conditioning coach Kody Cooke or pastor Shawn Withy-Allen. The concerns would be brought to Graham.
“No one is perfect,” tight end Caleb Phillips said. “Everybody has things they can work on. But I truly believe (Graham) loves the guys on the team and he wanted the best for everyone. Obviously, there are some things he can work on, and that’s the reality of the situation. But I thought the past few weeks, after some of the things that came out, he was trying to be better in areas, and we were working on plans going forward for the team to succeed in terms of having representative councils and talking among the players. It was definitely some shocking news (Friday) night. We’re anxious to see what happens. I’m confident in guys who are here, and the guys who are here and want to be here. My prayer is I want the best for Coach Graham and his family no matter what that looks like going forward, and we get a great coaching staff coming in.”
