As part of the University of Hawaii football team’s reorganization, Matt Chon has been officially named as general manager.
Chon, who served as chief of staff during Timmy Chang’s first three years as head coach, was officially approved for the new role on Friday after a red-tape process of nearly three months. Keiki Misipeka, who previously held the general manager’s title, now is with the University of Miami in a personnel role.
Chang also is close to announcing a successor to director of player personnel Silas Clapham, who was named the University of Washington’s director of college scouting.
As chief of staff, Chon oversaw day-to-day operations of the football program. His duties included helping with recruiting; planning practices; making pregame arrangements; working with academics and scholarships; and (along with Lavana Francisco) working on travel logistics.
“He’s a guy who gets the job done,” Chang said of Chon.
In his new role, Chon will focus on name, image, likeness deals, roster management and assisting with recruiting and personnel. Reyn Shiraishi will take over day-to-day operations.
“With NIL and recruiting, there needs to be a guy who can handle that job, and Matt’s going to fill that role and do a good job doing that,” Chang said.
In the current system, players seeking NIL deals could be referred to collectives that work with schools. The Rainbow Collective, Downtown Athletic Club, Braddahhood Grindz and Hawaii Warrior Football Network have provided NIL opportunities for UH student-athletes.
The House vs. NCAA settlement — if finalized on April 7, as expected — will allow schools to directly compensate their own student-athletes. Last week, the NCAA agreed to drop its rule prohibiting prospects from negotiating their NIL terms after they enroll in school. In essence, schools will be allowed to use NIL deals as part of recruiting pitches.
“The big thing with the general manager’s role is handling the NIL talks, the contracts, talking with players and agents about money,” said Chon, noting it will “take it off the head coach’s plate. There’s a reason a lot of schools in the country have gone that route. There’s no blueprint for it right now. It kind of just best fits as organizations and head coaches see it.”
Chon’s workmanlike approach and passion for football spurred his ascent. The Sacramento native was a receiver at Division III University of La Verne. But he missed his first season after breaking a scaphoid and a week into the ensuing spring practice suffered an ACL injury. While recovering, he helped out the football program.
After graduating in three years, he accepted a job as a financial planner. “l was like, ‘OK, what’s life like without football?’” Chon recalled thinking. As it turned out, it was not as much fun.
“I missed the fast pace (of football),” he said. “I loved living in controlled chaos, and go, go, go. Being in a competitive environment with people, in a family environment, that’s what you get in a locker room.”
In 2020, a former coach offered Chon an opportunity to play and coach in the United Kingdom, as well as earn a master’s degree. He accepted. But during the health stoppages of the pandemic, Chon sought other opportunities. His best friend Blake Martin, who attended the University of Nevada, told Chon: “We have an extra room in our apartment. Come move out here, and try to work with Nevada.” Martin’s housemate, Hope Nepstad, approached Colton Bosnos, who was the Wolf Pack’s assistant director of player personnel at the time, and asked to give her “best friend” a shot. Nepstad and Chon had just met. Chon was given an internship in the recruiting department, where he often worked with Chang, who was the receivers coach.
When Nevada head coach Jay Norvell accepted the Colorado State job, Chon remained behind to work on operations for the Wolf Pack’s upcoming bowl game. New Nevada head coach Ken Wilson named Chon director of football operations. In January 2022, Chang, who had joined Norvell at CSU, was offered the UH job. One of Chang’s first moves was to hire away Chon from the ‘Pack.
“It’s been a journey ever since,” Chon said. “My job out here is to keep the wheels rolling and do whatever it takes to get the players and the staff organized. … If that’s organizing team travel, its organizing team travel. … We all work like our head coach. He’s a no-job-is-too-little guy. I love that. At Nevada on Sunday and Monday mornings, he’d come up to me and say, ‘Let’s do the trash cans.’ We’d spend a lot of our Sunday and Monday mornings emptying trash cans in the office. He did it with a smile on his face. Anything to help the team.”
