Did you know the University of Hawaii has already hired its new football coach? David Matlin didn’t either, and he’s the guy who is doing the picking.
Some asked last week if it was true that Rich Miano had been hired. This was even before Norm Chow had been fired.
Then, yesterday, the rumor du jour was that June Jones was already hired to replace Chow, weeks ago.
That was news to Matlin, the UH athletic director. Fake news, like the kind in The Onion.
There’s an actual hiring process involved, and it’s only just begun. Applications still coming in. That’s one of the advantages of relieving the previous coach in midseason — there’s time to be thorough and still get the best for the job in place in time for recruiting.
The name of Dino Babers has created a lot of buzz among UH fans. Even going back to two years ago when the former Rainbows running back was head coach at Eastern Illinois. But if UH wants to try to hire Babers, it will likely have to wait until after Nov. 24. That’s when the Bowling Green team Babers now coaches completes its regular season at Ball State.
Babers is a longshot because he’s become a hot property nationally. He could make a lot more money at Virginia Tech or Miami.
Nick Rolovich would be more likely among coaches who are currently working. The Nevada offensive coordinator has wanted to return to Manoa since the day Chow didn’t retain him as OC at UH in 2012. Since then, Nevada beat Hawaii all four times they’ve played.
Rolovich has never been a head coach. The same was true of Chow and Greg McMackin. But that shouldn’t be held against Rolovich; at 36, he should be better able to adapt to the unique stresses of being a first-time big boss than UH’s previous two head coaches did in their 60s.
Rolovich has got the people-person part down that Chow struggled with. But you don’t hire someone as a head coach just because he’s a good guy. And as we’ve just seen, success as a coordinator doesn’t always translate to success as a head coach. Also, there’s been some grumbling in Reno about the offense’s consistency under Rolovich since Chris Ault retired.
Some folks advocate a local dream team of Jones as head coach, with Rolovich and Miano as the coordinators, perhaps with Cal and Ron Lee returning to Manoa as well. This looks unlikely, as both Rolovich and Miano are at the stage of their careers where they want to run their own program.
As UH is under constraints on how much it can offer a new head coach, it also has a very small allotment for the assistant coaches salaries. At last check it was $1.1 million. Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart is one of seven college assistants who each make more than that much per year.
There’s a lot more to happen before UH names a new football coach, and it might be someone who hasn’t even been mentioned by anyone yet. It’s possible it could be done before December. But if someone tells you tomorrow or next week a hire has been made, it’s very likely just another rumor.
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783. His blog is at Hawaiiwarriorworld.com/quick-reads.
