New UH football coach Chang makes sure to get his point across before scrimmage

On a muggy Wednesday morning in Manoa, University of Hawaii head football coach Timmy Chang brought the heat.

After the offense dropped a pass and then was intercepted on consecutive plays during a situational session, Chang called “time,” gathered the unit, and delivered an impassioned speech about not letting one bad moment lead to another. It was a rare show of emotion for Chang, whose upbeat personality has defined his 61⁄2-month tenure as head coach of his alma mater.

Unlike his predecessor, Chang’s loud delivery was without harshness.

“You’ve got to coach,” Chang said. “You’ve got to love ’em. You’ve got to have the balance. … There’s no belittling. There’s always coaching. It always comes from a place of love. With love comes awareness. They’ve got to be aware of the things that are happening. When adversity hits like that, you’ve got to stop it, and move on.”

Chang is hopeful of cleaner performances when the Rainbow Warriors participate in today’s 40-play, full-padded scrimmage at the Ching Complex. The scrimmage will be incorporated into today’s practice, which starts with warm-ups at 6:45 a.m., and is free and open to the public.

“We want to see guys compete,” Chang said. “We want to see guys tackle. We want to see the offense make guys miss and get up the field. We want to see those guys continue to compete and go at it.”

Chang said the scrimmage will be part of the evaluation process in establishing a depth chart ahead of the Aug. 27 opener against Vanderbilt.

“They’ll definitely get movement into locking into the two-deep, and guys you’re going to try to get ready to go week one,” Chang said.

The most publicly scrutinized battle is at quarterback, where the Warriors are seeking a successor to Chevan Cordeiro, a two-time captain who transferred to San Jose State. Brayden Schager, who was 2-1 as a starter in 2021; Joey Yellen, who previously played at Arizona State and then Pittsburgh; Washington State transfer Cammon Cooper, and third-year Warrior Jake Farrell, are acknowledged as the leaders. Chang has hinted he will soon give the majority of practice reps to two quarterbacks, but will not announce a starter until the week of the opener.

Chang praised the quarterbacks. Schager took the first turn in team sessions on Wednesday. Chang said Yellen “comes through. He’s a veteran. He has the most experience of all the quarterbacks. He brings good things to the table.”

Cooper dashed 69 yards for a touchdown during the 11-on-11 session. “He took off today, didn’t he?” Chang said.

Chang also praised reserve quarterback Connor Apo, who was the backup to Cordeiro and then Jayden de Laura on Saint Louis School’s 2018 and 2019 state championship teams. Apo was set to start in 2020, but the pandemic wiped out the Crusaders’ season. Apo was a member of the Warriors’ scout team in 2021.

“Connor’s been having a great camp,” Chang said. “He’s been doing unbelievably. But there are a couple guys in front of him that we’re focusing on.”

Chang said injuries and several players suffering flu-like symptoms have kept participation down in recent practices. “Guys are nicked,” Chang said, “and guys are sick. The numbers are a little bit light. … The flu bug has hit. There are key guys who are out that we want to see get reps.”

Slotback Chad Owens Jr. confirmed on Twitter he will undergo surgery to treat a Jones fracture in his left foot. His father Chad Owens Sr., a former UH receiver/returner, suffered a similar injury to the fifth metatarsal near the end of his lengthy pro career. Owens Jr. has vowed to play this coming season.