Hawaii Football: It’s time for a Rainbow Warriors comeback

Offense

It was expected that returning starter Dru Brown would give Rolovich an experienced signal-caller to direct the offense after throwing for 2,785 yards and 18 touchdowns with just eight interceptions a year ago. Brown completed almost 62 percent of his passes and also showed his athleticism by scrambling for two scores, but he decided to enroll at Oklahoma State as a graduate transfer.

That caused plenty of concern around the Hawaii offense, as Cole McDonald is next in line after completing 5-of-9 passes for 22 yards with a touchdown in limited duty as Brown’s backup. The sophomore has good size, standing 6-foot-4 and weighing over 200 pounds, but there is no substitute for game-day experience.

Many years ago, Hawaii brought in native son Timmy Chang, who reset passing records at the school and all-time in the NCAA. They are hoping to catch lightning in a bottle twice with the signing of Chevan Cordeiro.

Coming from the same Saint Louis High School as Chang, Cordeiro is well-familiar with the Run-and-Shoot offense Rolovich will implore. He was a winner in high school, leading Saint Louis to the Open Division State title and earning Gatorade Hawaii Player of the Year honors.

Whoever wins the quarterback job will be without the services of Dylan Collie, as he also transferred, enrolling at BYU. Collie became the No. 1 receiver after John Ursua was injured, catching 47 passes for 667 yards. The team is hopeful that Ursua has recovered from his injury and will be healthy this fall.

Diocemy Saint Juste, who ran for a team-high 1,510 yards and scored seven touchdowns, also departs due to graduation. Second-leading rusher Ryan Tuiasoa, who had almost 300 yards and five scores, also departs, meaning Freddie Holly and his nine attempts for 27 yards are the most returning to the backfield.

Who is QB No. 1?

Whether it is McDonald or Cordeiro, the important decision for Rolovich and his staff to make will come weeks before opening night. If Hawaii is going to have a fluid and successful offense, they need to give control of the unit over to either McDonald or Cordeiro early enough during the preseason that the winner can gain plenty of experience on the practice field.

While McDonald sports the size, Cordeiro’s high school success could be the determining factor. If he’s already familiar enough with the playbook, he should easily be able to step in and lead the offense.

Craig Stutzmann, a former standout receiver for Hawaii, will be in charge of the passing game and work with the quarterbacks. He was a teammate of Rolovich’s and earned a pair of all-conference honors.