2020 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team

The 2020 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team was to represent the University of Hawaii at Manoa in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Rainbow Warriors were to play their home games at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu as members in the West Division of the Mountain West Conference. They were to be led by first-year head coach Todd Graham.

2020 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football
Conference	Mountain West Conference
Division	West Division
2020 record	0–0 (0–0 MW)
Head coach	Todd Graham (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	G. J. Kinne (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator	Tony Hull (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Run and gun
Defensive coordinator	Victor Santa Cruz (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Jacob Yoro (1st as coordinator, 4th overall season)
Base defense	Double eagle flex (Desert Swarm)
Home stadium	Aloha Stadium (Capacity: 50,000)

2020 Mountain West Conference football standings
	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Mountain Division
Air Force			–							–
Boise State			–							–
Colorado State			–							–
New Mexico			–							–
Utah State			–							–
Wyoming			–							–
West Division
Fresno State			–							–
Hawaii			–							–
Nevada			–							–
San Diego State			–							–
San Jose State			–							–
UNLV			–							–
Championship: TBA
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Note: Due to COVID-19, the Mountain West suspended the 2020 football season. As of August 14, 2020; Rankings from AP Poll

On August 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference cancelled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

Previous season

The Rainbow Warriors had their most successful season since 2010. They finished 10-5, 5-3 to finish tied for first in the West Division, claiming the division championship with a 14-11 win over San Diego State. They advanced to the Mountain West Championship, where they lost to Boise State, but won the Hawaii Bowl over archrival BYU, 38-34. This was Hawaii’s first ten-win season since 2010, and just the seventh in program history. Nick Rolovich was also named Mountain West Coach of the Year, the fourth UH coach to receive that honor.

However, Rolovich abruptly resigned on January 13, 2020 to accept the head coaching position at Washington State.[2] Seven more assistants followed, including assistant coach Mark Banker, offensive coordinator Brian Smith and quarterbacks coach Craig Stutzmann.[3]

After a week, Athletic Director David Matlin hired former Arizona State head coach Todd Graham as Rolovich's successor on January 21, 2020. He was officially introduced on January 22, 2020.[4]

Preseason

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year
Doak Walker Award[5]	Miles Reed	RB	RS JR
Fred Biletnikoff Award[6]	Jared Smart	WR	SR
Outland Trophy[7]	Ilm Manning	OL	JR

Mountain West media days

The Mountain West media days will be held in July.

Media poll

The preseason poll will be released at the Mountain West media days in July.

Preseason All-Mountain West Team

The Preseason All-Mountain West Team will be announced at Mountain West media days in July.

Schedule

Hawaii had its first four games against Arizona, UCLA, Fordham and Oregon canceled before the start of the 2020 season. Each cancellation, related to the COVID-19 pandemic, was due to individual conferences attempting to reduce spread of the virus through travel restrictions.[8][9] Robert Morris later replaced Fordham on the schedule, announced on July 13, 2020.[10]

The entire season was canceled by the Mountain West Conference on August 10, 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was the schedule of opponents prior to the cancellation of the season.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 26	Robert Morris*	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI
October 3	Nevada	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI
October 10	New Mexico State*	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI
October 17	at Air Force	Falcon Stadium Colorado Springs, CO (Kuter Trophy)
October 24	Boise State	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI
October 31	at Fresno State	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, CA (Rivalry)
November 7	New Mexico	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI
November 14	UNLV	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, HI
November 21	at San Jose State	CEFCU Stadium San Jose, CA
November 28	at San Diego State	SDCCU Stadium San Diego, CA
*Non-conference game

Notes

Personnel

Staff

Name	Position	Seasons at Hawaii	Alma Mater
Todd Graham	Head Coach	1	East Central (1986)
Victor Santa Cruz	Associate Head Coach / Defensive Coordinator / Outside Linebackers	1	Hawaii (1994)
G. J. Kinne	Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks	1	Tulsa (2011)
Danny Phillips	Special Teams Coordinator / Defensive Line	1	Central Oklahoma (1993)
Tony Hull	Co-Offensive Coordinator / Inside Receivers	1	Louisiana–Lafayette (2004)
Jacob Yoro	Co-Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers	3	Hawaii (2008)
Sam Bennett	Run Game Coordinator / Offensive Line	1	Texas Tech (2010)
Brandon "Bo" Graham	Pass Game Coordinator / Running Backs	1	Tulsa (2005)
Brennan Marion	Wide Receivers	1	Tulsa (2008)
Laiu Moeakiola	Safeties	1	Arizona State (2016)
Abe Elimimian	Cornerbacks / Recruiting Coordinator	5	Hawaii (2004)
Trent Figg	Chief of Staff	1	William Jewell (2008)
Kody Cooke	Strength & Conditioning Coordinator / Assistant Head Coach	1	Tulsa (2011)

Roster

2020 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Football Team
Quarterback 11 Justin Uahinui – Junior (6'3, 195) 12 Chevan Cordeiro – Sophomore (6'1, 190) 13 Jake Farrell – Freshman (6'5, 215) 16 Armani Edden – Junior (6'0, 185) 18 Boone Abbott – Freshman (6'2, 175) 19 Kamali'i Akina – Senior (5'11, 180) Running backs  0 Dae Dae Hunter – Freshman (5'10, 200)  4 Miles Reed – Junior (5'8, 185)  7 Calvin Turner – Senior (6'1, 195) 35 Hekili Keliiliki – Junior (6'2, 225) 36 Kenneth Fitzgerald – Junior (6'0, 220) 38 Keliam Brunn – Sophomore (6'0, 185) Wide receiver  3 Melquise Stovall – Senior (5'9, 190)  6 Zion Bowens – Junior (6'1, 200)  8 Rico Bussey – Senior (6'2, 190) 10 Quin Bright – Freshman (5'9, 170) 14 James Phillips – Sophomore (5'9, 155) 15 Jonah Panoke – Freshman (6'2, 185) 23 Jared Smart – Senior (6'0, 190) 27 Koali Nishigaya – Freshman (5'8, 160) 31 Jaden Allen – Freshman (5'10, 165) 80 Mekel Ealy – Freshman (6'3, 180) 81 Grey Ihu – Junior (6'0, 180) 82 Dayton Toney – Freshman (6'1, 175) 83 Kahale Huddleston – Sophomore (5'10, 180) 84 Nick Mardner – Sophomore (6'5, 190) 85 Lincoln Victor – Sophomore (5'10, 165) 86 Riley Wilson – Freshman (6'2, 190) 87 Kaleb Maresh – Sophomore (6'1, 190) 87 Dior Scott – Junior (5'9, 175) 88 Tamatoa Mokiao-Atimalala – Freshman (5'10, 175) 89 Kilohana Haasenritter – Freshman (6'0, 190) -- Aaron Cephus – Senior (6'4, 200)		Offensive lineman 52 Solo Vaipulu – Junior (6'2, 310) 53 Ramsey Aviu – Junior (6'2, 300) 55 Micah Vanterpool – Junior (6'6, 315) 58 Joey Nu'uanu-Kuhi'iki – Freshman (6'3, 290) 60 Caden Hilborn – Freshman (6'5, 285) 61 Eliki Tanuvasa – Sophomore (6'2, 320) 63 Taaga Tuulima – Senior (6'2, 290) 64 Kauka Umiamaka – Freshman (6'4, 310) 65 Elias Wong – Sophomore (6'2, 295) 66 Sergio Muasau – Freshman (6'0, 340) 67 Bubba Wa'a – Freshman (6'2, 295) 68 Ra Elkington – Junior (6'5, 350) 70 Arasi Mose – Freshman (6'5, 340) 72 Kohl Levao – Senior (6'6, 340) 74 Gene Pryor – Senior (6'3, 305) 75 Ilm Manning – Junior (6'4, 280) 76 Michael Eletise – Senior (6'4, 340) 77 Alesana Sunia – Senior (6'3, 320) 78 Ernest Moore – Senior (6'8, 305) 79 Micah Soliai Howlett – Freshman (6'3, 310) Defensive lineman 10 Mark Blocker II – Freshman (6'3, 230) 30 Kamuela Borden – Sophomore (6'4, 250) 42 Jonah Kahahawai-Welch – Sophomore (6'2, 230) 43 Mason Vega – Senior (6'3, 275) 48 Derek Thomas – Senior (6'3, 225) 50 Justus Tavai – Junior (6'3, 295) 51 Makai Manuwai – Senior (6'1, 280) 52 Ezra Evaimalo – Freshman (6'1, 245) 54 Kalani Kamakawiwo'ole – Freshman (6'0, 220) 55 Blessman Taʻala – Junior (6'1, 300) 59 Andrew Choi – Sophomore (6'0, 230) 62 Doug Russell – Junior (6'5, 290) 71 Stephan Bernal-Wendt – Junior (6'1, 310) 73 Johnny Morrison – Junior (6'3, 260) 77 Alesia Sunia – Senior (6'3, 320) 79 Samson Siilata – Freshman (6'3, 255) 90 John Tuitupou – Senior (6'4, 300) 91 Gabriel Iniguez Jr. – Freshman (6'2, 270) 92 DJuan Matthews – Senior (5'11, 280) 93 Mason Mataafa – Junior (6'4, 250) 94 Alema Kapoi – Junior (6'0, 270) 95 Kemon Smith – Junior (6'2, 290) 96 Maurice Taʻala – Freshman (6'1, 305) 97 Zach Ritner – Sophomore (6'3, 240) 98 Foi Shaw – Sophomore (6'0, 305) 99 Jonah Laulu – Sophomore (6'5, 280)		Linebacker  1 Penei Pavihi – Junior (6'3, 245)  2 Jeremiah Pritchard – Senior (6'0, 225) 15 Paul Scott – Junior (6'1, 210) 17 Isaiah Tufaga – Sophomore (6'2, 225) 36 Hoku Arias – Freshman (6'0, 205) 45 Payton Awaya – Junior (6'0, 210) 46 Tauivi Ho Ching – Senior (6'1, 230) 53 Darius Muasau – Sophomore (6'1, 225) 56 Zach Bowers – Freshman (6'0, 215) 57 Parker Higgins – Senior (5'11, 225) 58 Kila Kamakawiwo'ole – Freshman (6'0, 220)' Defensive backs  5 Khoury Bethley – Junior (5'10, 200)  8 Eugene Ford – Senior (6'2, 200) 11 Sterlin Ortiz – Junior (5'10, 185) 13 Jalen Perdue – Junior (5'10, 175) 18 Cortez Davis – Senior (5'11, 180) 19 Quentin Frazier – Junior (6'1, 195) 20 Cameron Lockridge – Sophomore (6'0, 180) 21 Michael Washington – Freshman (6'0, 160) 22 Akil Francisco – Junior (6'0, 160) 24 Kai Kaneshiro – Sophomore (6'2, 180) 25 Travon Killins – Freshman (6'0, 175) 26 Leonard Lee – Junior (6'1, 190) 28 Nalu Emerson – Freshman (6'1, 205) 29 Donovan Dalton – Junior (6'4, 200) 31 Tiger Peterson – Freshman (6'1, 195) 33 Steven Fiso – Sophomore (6'2, 190) 34 James Green III – Sophomore (5'11, 175) 37 Alakai Mashima – Sophomore (5'11, 185) 38 Brody Padilla – Sophomore (5'11, 170) 39 Kalamaku Kuewa – Sophomore (6'0, 200) 47 Noa Kamana – Junior (6'0, 185) 49 Asher Pilanca – Freshman (6'0, 175) Placekickers  1 Matthew Shipley – Freshman (6'1, 175) 30 Kaʻeo Rezentes – Freshman (6'2, 180) 69 Ben Falck – Sophomore (6'6, 220) (+P) 96 Adam Stack – Junior (6'2, 180) (+P) Punter 12 Stan Gaudion – Senior (6'3, 210) Long snappers 44 Wyatt Tucker – Junior (5'10, 205)		Head Coach Todd Graham Assistant Coaches Victor Santa Cruz – Associate Head Coach, Defensive Coordinator & Outside Linebackers Coach G. J. Kinne – Offensive Coordinator & Quarterbacks Coach Danny Phillips – Special Teams Coordinator & Defensive Line Coach Tony Hull – Co-Offensive Coordinator & Inside Receivers Coach Jacob Yoro – Co-Defensive Coordinator & Linebackers Coach Sam Bennett – Run Game Coordinator & Offensive Line Coach Brandon "Bo" Graham – Pass Game Coordinator & Running Backs Coach Brennan Marion – Wide Receivers Coach Laiu Moeakiola – Safeties Coach Abe Elimimian – Cornerbacks Coach & Recruiting Coordinator Support Staff Kody Cooke – Strength & Conditioning Coach Trent Figg – Chief of Staff Olivia Vea – Video Coordinator Myles Gota – Director of Football Operations Josh Omura – Director of Player Personnel Chandler Enegren – Recruiting & Operations Assistant Matt Passwaters – Graduate Assistant (Offense) PJ Minaya – Graduate Assistant (Offense) Koa Kaai – Graduate Assistant (Defense) Tyler Clifton – Graduate Assistant (Defense/Special Teams) Landon Keopple – Offensive Quality Control Ryan Matviko – Offensive Quality Control (Quarterbacks)

Game summaries

Nevada

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
10–14	2019	UH, 54–3

Nevada Wolf Pack at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

	1	2	3	4	Total
Wolf Pack	0	0	0	0	0
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0

at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI

• Date: October 3, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

New Mexico State

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
8–0	2011	UH, 45–34

New Mexico State Aggies at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

	1	2	3	4	Total
Aggies	0	0	0	0	0
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0

at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI

• Date: October 10, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

at Air Force

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
7–14–1	2019	L, 56–26

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Air Force Falcons

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0
Falcons	0	0	0	0	0

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

• Date: October 17, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

Boise State

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
3–14	2019	L 31–10

Boise State Broncos at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	0	0	0
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0

at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI

• Date: October 24, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

at Fresno State

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
22–29–1	2019	L, 41–38

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Fresno State Bulldogs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0
Bulldogs	0	0	0	0	0

at Bulldog Stadium, Fresno, CA

• Date: October 31, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

New Mexico

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
15–10	2019	W 45–31

New Mexico Lobos at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

	1	2	3	4	Total
Lobos	0	0	0	0	0
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0

at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI

• Date: November 7, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

UNLV

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
17–12	2019	W 21–7

UNLV Rebels at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	0	0	0	0	0
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0

at Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, HI

• Date: November 14, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

at San Jose

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
22–19–1	2019	W, 42–40

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at San Jose State Spartans

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0
Spartans	0	0	0	0	0

at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA

• Date: November 21, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

at San Diego State

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
11–21–2	2019	W, 14–11

Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at San Diego State Aztecs

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rainbow Warriors	0	0	0	0	0
Aztecs	0	0	0	0	0

at SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, CA

• Date: November 28, 2020
• Game time: TBD
• TV: TBD

[11]

References

1. "Mountain West Postpones 2020 Fall Sports". TheMW.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
2. "Nick Rolovich resigns; heads to Washington State". Bleacher Report. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
3. "More assistants join Rolovich at Washington State". The Spokesman-Review. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
4. "Ex-ASU coach Todd Graham hired by Hawaii". CBS Sports. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
5. Taylor, John. "2019 finalist Chuba Hubbard, 2018 finalist Travis Etienne two of the 76 Doak Walker Award watch listers". NBC Sports. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
6. "2020 Biletnifkoff Award Watch List". Retrieved 27 July 2020.
7. "Manning Selected To Outland Trophy Watch List". Hawaii Athletics. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
8. "Fordham game in Hawaii canceled due to virus". ESPN. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
9. Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
10. "Robert Morris replaces Fordham on Hawaii schedule". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
11. "2020 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Football Schedule". Hawaii Athletic Department. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2020.