Hawaii Football: Rainbow Warriors hope to take next steps in year two under Todd Graham

After a solid first season in Honolulu, Hawaii Football head coach Todd Graham hopes to be even better in 2021

Having a first-year head coach in a pandemic-filled season is not the easiest situation to be in, but it is where Hawaii Football found itself last season.

The Rainbow Warriors had a solid debut season under Todd Graham, winning five games including their bowl game and having one of the better offenses in the MWC. The question is now for Hawaii football: what will it do for an encore and how much can it improve?

Hawaii has been a place that coaches can come to win. Bob Wagner did it in the late ’80s and early ’90s and then June Jones had an excellent run in the 2000s with the late Colt Brennan and some of the most high powered offenses in the country, where Hawaii reached the Sugar Bowl and Brennan had two top-six finishes in the Heisman Trophy voting. Since Jones left after those two magical seasons, the program has struggled to compete at a consistent level.

Nick Rolovich came in 2016 and led the team to three bowls in four years, but then departed for Washington State. Hawaii then hired former Tulsa and Arizona State head coach Todd Graham and he provided more of the same for Hawaii fans and he is looking to be even better in his follow-up season.

The Rainbow Warriors are equipped with some electric playmakers on offense and quietly had one of the better secondary’s in the country. The schedule is not easy, but it is not the most difficult either. There are opportunities for the Warriors to get back to a bowl game and be a thorn in the side of everyone they play, due to their offense.