Ferd Lewis
Payoff for Jones starts now
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist
Whether the University of Hawai'i football team is a contender or pretender this year remains to be seen.
But in whose mold the Warriors have been fashioned is far from doubt.
Three years and 25 games into his tenure as head coach, June Jones' imprint on the Warriors is as unmistakable as his pass-first-and-ask-questions-later approach to offense. From the tops of their helmets to the tips of their socks, Jones' branding is pervasive as it is black.
From when they practice to the playbook they follow, this is Jones' team to a depth and width that hasn't existed before.
As the Warriors prepare to open fall practice, a significant corner is being turned here. The Warriors' 10-day camp will decide the starters for the Sept. 8 opener against Montana and, for the first time since taking over, the majority of them will be Jones' recruits.
In his first season and even through the last campaign, a number of those seeing playing time were remnants of an earlier regime, of different offenses, defenses and coaching philosophies. Some were even throwbacks to an administration twice removed.
In this evolution of the Warriors, a changing of the guard — as well as tackles, linebackers, etc. — is taking place.
Now, after a collective 12-13 record built over two disparate seasons, one that produced a 9-4 record and bowl victory and the other a 3-9 bust, this is where it is supposed to start coming together. Although it will be at least another season before the roster reflects Jones' recruiting from A to Z, this season is where consistency becomes the rule rather than the exception.
It would, Jones had said upon taking the reins, require three recruiting classes before the Warriors began to make their move and resemble the model he has envisioned.
So, this is where the pieces, most of them assembled with a common goal in mind, are supposed to start tumbling into place. For example, say UH officials, this could be the first time since 1994 the Warriors reach the full complement of 85 scholarships allowed by NCAA rules.
For the first time in Jones' run-and-shoot, UH will have a quarterback returning who has started a game in this offensive system. Two, in fact, in Tim Chang and Nick Rolovich, who divided last year's 12 starts.
Anterior cruciate ligaments willing, they'll operate behind not only the most experienced run-and-shoot offensive line of Jones' tenure, but the deepest. The same holds true for the receivers who, for the first time, should be able to start a season on the same pages as the people throwing to them and not have to work into finding a happy medium.
Likewise, it will be the only defense since 1997 that has had the same coordinator, schemes and staff in place in consecutive seasons. Only on special teams will there be major changes.
After too many seasons of on-the-run adaptation and the growing pains associated with it, this is where the puzzle that has been the Warriors is supposed to start fitting together.
