Head coach Todd Graham adds special teams coordinator to staff

JAMM AQUINO/JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Hawaii football head coach Todd Graham flashes a shaka to the crowd during a break in the first half of an NCAA basketball game at the Stan Sheriff Center earlier this month.

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Five down, five to go.

Head coach Todd Graham has filled half his football coaching staff with the addition of Dan Phillips as special teams coordinator and defensive assistant.

Phillips has spent 26 years coaching at the college and high school levels.

“I’m extremely excited to become a member of the University of Hawaii football staff,” Phillips said in a text to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. “I can’t wait to begin building relationships with our players, as well as the people of this great state.”

In a news release, Graham said: “Coach Danny Phillips is a seasoned veteran, coaching and directing special teams. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience and understanding of the championship culture we want to instill in our football program.We proudly welcome Coach Phillips to our Hawaii football family.”

Phillips has worked four stints under Graham.

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At Allen High (Texas), Graham was the head coach and Phillips was in charge of linebackers and special teams. In 2002, Graham was West Virginia’s co-defensive coordinator while Phillips was a graduate assistant. Phillips was the defensive line coach for three seasons at Tulsa when Graham was the defensive coordinator. When Graham was head coach at Arizona State, Phillips worked for five seasons through 2017 as senior analyst for special teams and defense. Phillips spent the past two seasons as special teams coordinator and defensive line coach at McKinney (Texas) North High.

Graham was hired as UH head coach on Jan. 21 as successor to Nick Rolovich, who resigned a week earlier to become Washington State’s head coach.

Graham retained Jacob Yoro and Abraham Elimimian as defensive assistant coaches, and hired Azusa Pacific head coach Victor Santa Cruz as defensive coordinator. Yoro, Elimimian and Santa Cruz are UH alumni. On Wednesday, Arizona Cardinals assistant Sam Bennett was hired as an offensive assistant. All signs point to Bennett working with the offensive linemen.

Phillips succeeds Michael Ghobrial, who was the Rainbow Warriors’ special teams coordinator for two seasons before resigning two weeks ago to join Washington State’s staff.

Graham is seeking to fill five more full-time coaching positions on his staff.

This is the final recruiting weekend before Wednesday’s start of the signing period for football prospects.