Hawaii AD, coach release odd dual statements on transfers

The University of Hawaii football team is dealing with a mini exodus. With a total of 12 Rainbow Warriors players opting to enter the transfer portal, athletics director David Matlin and head coach Todd Graham released statements.

“As a staff, we realized that the transfer portal would bring challenges to our team,” Graham said. “We are disappointed to lose any member of our Warrior family to the transfer portal. We appreciate the contributions they have made to the team.

“Moving forward, we are continuing to listen, learn and improve daily. We are focused on developing the players on our 2022 squad and growing closer as a team. We want our fans, supporters, and the University of Hawaii family to know that we are working tirelessly to build a championship team that they can be proud of.”

Statements from Hawaii coach Todd Graham and AD David Matlin on the large number of UH players entering the transfer portal.

This comes on the heels of current and former players criticizing the environment under Graham. pic.twitter.com/uv6E6eCXQ0

— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) December 29, 2021

Though the Hawaii program leaders are correct in the fact that the transfer portal is impacting every program nationwide, the exodus of Rainbow Warriors is not commonplace. Other bowl-eligible programs in the Mountain West are not having the same issues.

Hawaii was going to play in the Hawaii Bowl versus Memphis on Christmas Eve. However, COVID-19 issues, on top of injuries and transfers, stopped the game. Since then, star linebacker Darius Muasau opted to enter the portal on Tuesday. He entered with defensive starters Jonah Laulu and Justus Tavail on Tuesday, joining Dae Dae Hunter, and the many others.

Graham under fire as transfers mount

Graham has been the target of criticism for his coaching style. Anonymous players even discussed their complaints with the media, and on social media, earlier this month. Players complained of verbal abuse, favoritism, and general poor leadership.

“Me and a lot of others can truthfully say Graham has killed our love and passion for football,” a player told SFGate.com.

The NCAA made it easier for personnel staff to replace transfers this year with a one-time waiver. Teams can sign up to an additional seven players if they have seven players transfer out. However, Hawaii will still have a deficit with 12 total transfers, and it’s possible that more transfer announcements are coming.

Losing too many players at once can take a toll on a team. The impact lasts not for one season, but for several cycles, as they try to replenish their ranks.

Since the publishing of the SFGate article, Graham has had one-on-one talks with players in an attempt to rebuild.

“I want to be a role model for our players and we ask them to be coachable and I think you’ve got to be humble and you’ve got to have self-awareness and gotta have self-improvement.” Graham said. “Obviously our staff, we talked about that were committed to doing things the right way and we know we do things the right way.”