Hawaii athletic director releases statement on June Jones

Hawaii athletic director David Matlin released a statement Friday evening after the team failed to reach an agreement with June Jones. It was previously reported that Jones, a former Rainbow Warriors coach, would return to the Hawaii sidelines in 2022.

“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,” Matlin said. “I understand there has been a lot of support for coach Jones this past week but he has declined our offer. 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.”

Jones, 68, coached at Hawaii from 1999-2007 before leaving for SMU. He went 76-41 in that span to become the winningest coach in program history. In his last two years, he led the Rainbow Warriors to a 23-4 record and a Sugar Bowl appearance in 2007.

The final three years of Jones’ tenure with Hawaii coincided with quarterback Colt Brennan’s time with the program. Brennan’s 14,193 career passing yards are ninth-most all-time and the second-most in Hawaii program history.

Sports agent Leigh Steinberg told ESPN that Jones still wants to coach at Hawaii. A short-term contract offer (first two years, then three) from the team is what kept the parties from reaching an agreement. Jones also reportedly wants full control over staff hiring.

Hawaii saw a rash of transfers this offseason in the wake of accusations against Graham and the program’s culture. He resigned on Saturday after two seasons and an 11-11 record with the program.

The decision comes off the back of some controversy surrounding Graham. The Hawaii Senate’s Ways and Means and Higher Education Committee called a meeting a week ago regarding the culture the head coach had built in the program. Several players came forward, speaking against Graham and his actions.

Hawaii finished this past season with a 6-7 record under Graham. The Rainbow Warriors were supposed to face Memphis in the Hawaii Bowl, but were forced to back out because of COVID-19 issues.

With June Jones now officially out of the running, Hawaii will continue its search for a new football coach. The Rainbow Warriors open the 2022 season on Aug. 27 against Vanderbilt.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.