Dave Reardon: June Jones brings immediate credibility; hire him ASAP

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Now that he’s officially in the running, June Jones should be hired as the next University of Hawaii head football coach, ASAP. Read more

Now that he’s officially in the running, June Jones should be hired as the next University of Hawaii head football coach, ASAP.

One of the most important reasons is he has the support of business people and other power brokers with money, services and influence to help UH. Generally, they prefer to do that when they feel the football team is being run by the right guy, and a lot of them still see Jones as that guy.

But given the nature of many of the complaints that led to the resignation of Todd Graham last Friday, it’s even more important to consider the thoughts of UH players past and present, including the only one I know of to be coached by both Graham and Jones.

His name is Leonard Lee. If it rings a bell, it’s either because there must be at least 10 people on this island with that name, or you heard and saw this Leonard Lee testify at the state Senate information briefing on Jan. 7.

Lee was a walk-on defensive back who transferred to UH in 2019 after two years at Pima Community College in Arizona. He was on the scout team when the Warriors went 10-5 in Nick Rolovich’s last season, helping guys like Cedric Byrd and JoJo Ward prepare for each week’s game. He said he felt his efforts were appreciated.

Not so much in ’20 and ’21, though, with Graham as the coach.

“The worst guy I’ve ever met in my life,” Lee said during the Senate briefing.

What was it like being coached by Jones?

“Not a bit of arrogance,” Lee said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “Treated everyone with respect and taught us all a lot.”

Where is this coming from? How the heck was Lee mentored by Jones, who hasn’t been on a college coaching staff since 2014?

It wasn’t a clinic or anything like that. Jones was actually Lee’s position coach at Kapolei High School in 2016.

Lee was an All-State safety. But he was also the Hurricanes’ second-string quarterback. Jones was volunteering at Kapolei as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the time.

“I had to go in the first game because Taulia (Tagovailoa) got hurt. Then there were games I went in for rubbish time to throw a few picks,” Lee deadpanned.

Unlike some volunteer coaches, Jones was consistent and dedicated, Lee said. He made the 50-mile round trip from his home on the other side of the island every day. Always on time, like any other good high school coach … except this one also happened to be a national coach of the year after orchestrating what was then the greatest turnaround in college football history, at UH in 1999.

“He’s a calming influence, he doesn’t raise his voice,” Kapolei head coach Darren Hernandez told Hawaii News Now that year. “His words have a lot of meaning, so the kids, and the coaches, frankly, everyone listens to what he has to say …”

That’s exactly what the UH locker room needs now.

There’s been a lot of talk about Timmy Chang getting the Warriors head coaching job. There might be a time for that in the future, but not now. Although the former UH quarterback great (who was coached by Jones) knows the lay of the land, going from position coach without coordinator experience is way too much of a jump.

Chang is among many of Jones’ former UH players who are now in coaching and eager to help their alma mater in a time of need. There are so many who want to get on board it’s hard to keep track; the most recent I’ve heard about is Chris Brown, the fierce Warriors linebacker who is now a terrific high school coach in Las Vegas. Recruiting pipeline from Bishop Gorman? Yes, please!

Jones, 68, won’t be there forever. After a couple of years of him re-installing the new and improved run-and-shoot and otherwise stabilizing the ship it would be a protege’s turn.

The question for some young coaches now is if they can afford to work at Manoa and live in Hawaii.

That isn’t a problem for Jones, who once volunteered to coach the Warriors for free. There’s probably some state rule against that, but they can’t tell him what to do with his salary, right?

Most of Jones’ detractors won’t see the logic in any of this, because they’ve already decided, long ago. They’re dead-set against him for all kinds of reasons and rumors, real and imagined.

I get it about feeling jilted when he left for SMU out of frustration right after UH’s only appearance in a New Year’s bowl game in ’08. It’s undeniable, though, that he left the program much better off than it was when he arrived.

Not all of the general public and not every UH fan will rally around Jones. Not every top local prospect will be convinced to stay home, at least right away.

But enough talented coaches — some who were part of the magic themselves, coached by Jones — would join forces behind him to give it another go. And we know he can win over players … the kind on the field and the kind in the corner offices downtown.

He might even have enough juice to get a full-sized stadium built.

June Jones nixes return to Hawaii

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Hawaii’s winningest head coach, June Jones, declined an offer to return to the program Friday.

“We met with Coach Jones earlier today and, unfortunately, could not come to terms with an agreement for him to be our next head football coach,” athletic director David Matlin said in a statement. “I understand that there has been a lot of support for Coach Jones this past week, but he has declined our offer. I respect his decision and we need to move forward in our search.

“At the end of the day we couldn’t agree on a succession plan that I felt was important for our student-athletes and supporters of Rainbow Warrior football. We are working tirelessly to get a head coach on board to lead our program and are fully aware of the sensitivity to national signing day on Feb. 2.”

Hawaii offered Jones a two-year contract with a plan in place for former quarterback Timmy Chang to succeed him, Jones’ agent told ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Adam Rittenberg. Matlin said he eventually amended the offer to three years. Still, Jones’ agent said the school wanted control over staff decisions, which became a sticking point.

So I would like to comment and give my thoughts on the Football Head Coaching job..I am still interested in this job for the people of Hawaii but the job offered to me today there is no way I could accept with the conditions offered me …No coach in their right mind would accept! — June Jones (@CoachJuneJones) January 22, 2022

Dictating who can be on my staff and only 2 year contract..What recruit would come if I was here for 2 years???..this has never been about money-but it is about giving me the ability to turn our program around and not have people tell me who is on my staff or how to coach my team — June Jones (@CoachJuneJones) January 22, 2022

Hawaii has been searching for new leadership since Todd Graham resigned under controversial circumstances on Jan. 14. Graham held the job for two seasons.

Jones had expressed interest in a Hawaii reunion and applied for the job, he told Mark Carpenter of Hawaii News Now on Tuesday.

The 68-year-old coached the Rainbow Warriors from 1999-2007, going 76-41 and taking the program to the Sugar Bowl in his final year. He left for SMU in 2008, citing Hawaii’s failure to invest in facilities and the football program overall.

Jones most recently coached in the XFL, steering the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 record in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to shut down. Before that, he spent time in the CFL, going 14-14 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 2017-18.

The Rainbow Warriors went 6-7 in 2021. Several players entered the transfer portal at the end of the season, intensifying the scrutiny Graham faced for his behavior toward players.

Hawai’i football: June Jones ‘close’ to being named Rainbow Warriors’ next coach, per report

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Hawai’i has reportedly zeroed in on its top head coaching candidate and is “close” to bringing back former coach June Jones for a second stint in Honolulu, according to Bruce Feldman. Jones has a career record of 112-84 in 16 seasons as a head coach between Hawai’i and SMU; he has not coached in college football since resigning as head coach of the Mustangs in 2014.

“Hearing June Jones is close to becoming the head coach at Hawaii again, per source,” Feldman wrote on Twitter. “Jones, now 68, is the winningest coach in school history, going 76-41, including a 23-4 mark in his final two seasons before he left for SMU.”

Jones, 68 years old, posted a 76-41 record over nine seasons at Hawaii from over nine seasons from 1999 to 2007, leading the Rainbow Warriors to three seasons of 10 wins or more. That included a 12-1 season in 2007, when Hawaii fell to Georgia in the Sugar Bowl to end a historic season led by prolific quarterback Colt Brennan. After that campaign, Jones left to take over at SMU and experienced early success during his tenure in Dallas before the Mustangs fell off during his last two seasons upon moving from Conference USA to the significantly more difficult American Athletic Conference.

Todd Graham recently stepped down as Hawai’i’s coach amid significant controversy, and Jones made it clear that he had interest in the job. Jones recently told KHON-2 that he wanted to speak with Hawaii athletic director David Matlin about the position while also lamenting the current state of the football program, which has seen myriad players transfer out this offseason.

“It’s heartbreaking to see what the condition of the program is right now,” Jones said. “That’s why I’m interested in talking with Dave (Matlin) and talking with whoever is making the decisions. Hopefully I get that opportunity to do that. It’s a unique situation that I’ve done one time, and I know I can do it again. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I get an opportunity to do that.”

Hawai’i will hope that Jones still has some wins left in him at this late stage of his career and that he has enough energy to bring back the glory days from his previous tenure. Jones said there is a very specific formula to winning at Hawai’i, and it is one that he took from legendary coach Dick Tomey.

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“The formula is the formula that I copied from Dick Tomey, and that’s why we won,” Jones said. “Dick is one of the most successful coaches here, and myself, and I copied him when I got here. Whoever they hire needs to look closely at what that formula is and then copy it again. It’s a tragedy that we are where we are. There’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes with the stadium and all different other kind of things that need to be dealt with. It’s gonna be a big job for whoever gets it.”

Austin Nivison contributed to this report.

Hawaii Football Update: AD David Matlin interviews June Jones, others for head coaching position, QB A.J. Bianco commits to Nevada

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Former NFL Quarterback Doug Williams and former NFL Head Coach June Jones leading high school football all-stars in Polynesian Bowl

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Former NFL quarterback Doug Williams will lead Team Makai in Saturday’s Polynesian Bowl high school football all-star game in Hawaii. On the other sideline will be former NFL head coach June Jones.

Williams was supposed to coach in the 2021 Polynesian Bowl, but that game was canceled due to Covid. Jones, who will guide Team Mauka, has been making headlines with his interest in returning as the head coach at the University of Hawaii.

Williams currently serves as Senior Advisor to Washington Football Team President Jason Wright. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and The Washington Football Club, winning the Super Bowl XXII Most Valuable Player award, making him the first black QB to both start and win a Super Bowl.

It’s a wrap day 1 practice in the books. Team Makai head coach Doug Williams words of wisdom. #PolyBowl2k22 🌴🤙 pic.twitter.com/ZrnJucko8t — Polynesian Bowl (@polynesiabowl) January 18, 2022

UCLA QB signee Justin Martin soaking in knowledge from coach Doug Williams here in Hawaii @polynesiabowl @justyn_martin8 pic.twitter.com/8x2Hi7Kb9x — Rivals (@Rivals) January 18, 2022

Jones was the Atlanta Falcons head coach from 1994 through 1996. he also spent 10-games as the interim head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 1998.

In the past, two other former NFL players have served as Polynesian Bowl head coaches and both were also NFL head coach. Jim Zorn coached in the 2019 game and Steve Spurrier participated in the 2020 contest.

The Polynesian Bowl is an annual all-star game featuring 100 of the nation’s top senior high school football players.